In addition to what everyone's suggested, you can also add custom CSS for their jellyfin account to hide stuff they don't need access to.
this post was submitted on 12 Nov 2025
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Roku has a Jellyfin app.
Roku device locked down with parental controls + Jellyfin app connected to your server + a non-admin Jellyfin user account so they can't click all the buttons.
The Roku aoo isn't great for my use because it's stripped down. Maybe a benefit in your case.
Yeah, easier is better. I'll have to confirm what apps outside of Jellyfin and Chromecast are needed, but I'll compare some basic Roku devices. I could probably score one a online neighborhood marketplace for a few bucks.
Thanks for weighing in.
Roku is really simple and locked down. There's ads on one side but nothing else. My 80yo grandma uses it.
Otherwise Projectivy is an Android TV launcher that can be configured to be really stripped down. It takes a bit of time but if you do it right it'd show less options than even Roku (it'd show only the apps you select, no launcher settings etc).
As a box I've heard good things about Onn (Walmart) if your in the US. If not, Homatics is great but pricey. Kick Pi KP1 is more affordable (but still way more expensive than Onn).
Here's what I would do:
- Create jellyfin account for them with limited access
- Get android tv streaming stick, install jellyfin on it
- Install custom launcher and configure it to autolaunch jellyfin, and hide all other apps
Xbox/ps5 + Plex. Turn it on, get loud beep, turns on TV for you, goes to input, designed for ease of use even for kids. Parental controls can limit what stuff they open (they are still going to see it though which may be a problem).
I'm sorry the jellyfin mouse only UI is far harder to use than a remote or controller in Plex.
I would not recommend PS5+Plex. I went through the whole set-up and the PS5 couldn't encode over half my videos. When playback did work it was often choppy. I dislike that it has ads all over the place but the ONN Streaming Pro does a way better job as Plex streaming device at $45 than my PS5. Plus the controller will be much easier for simple tech users, you can rebind one of the buttons to go directly to Plex
Fair enough, it works well enough on Xbox and I assumed the latter, but I guess not haha.
Well you see one device is made by Microsoft which has been the defacto way to watch videos for a large chunk of its lifespan and the other gave us UMDs and camcorders with cables that could only connect to Vaio laptops, which were the only devices that supported writing to mini-disc
What do you mean? Jellyfish works with a remote control on android tv
I can at least confirm Jellyfin on a tablet works well for toddlers when they have their own Jellyfin account that is locked down without a password while other accounts have a password.
Is there any way for you to stream via an android device. There some apps like Findroid (currently in a code rewrite phase but the last stable version works fine still!) which have a much simpler interface. My kid was able to use this nicely at age of 4 already, but that was for watching on an android tablet, so maybe not applicable for you.
jellyfin with kodi addon,
libreelec, logged into their jellyfin profile
can send announcements through kodi. control it with the Kore app or Yatse or home assistant.
flirc for a remote control?
Dumb idea: if the configuration is on a file, you can make it immutable. Something with chattr +i can't remember. I take no responsibility if your server catches fire, and you may have to manually set the flag on and off if you want to add new media/change settings. It may be more complicated if everything is inside a "full" sql db
As for the rest, either start jellyfin at boot or a custom launcher or kodi. I don't know if plasmashell is still working, it can probably be configured to only show the correct stuff. There are also custom launchers for android tv