Netflix launches free kids app with Peppa Pig, Sesame Street and games

Dubai: If you have ever handed your phone to a small child and immediately regretted it, Netflix might have just solved your problem. The streaming platform has launched Netflix Playground, a dedicated app for children aged eight and under that brings games, interactive play and familiar characters together in one place, with no ads, no in-app purchases and no nasty surprises on your bill.

What is Netflix Playground?

Netflix Playground is a free add-on for existing Netflix subscribers, available to download on smartphones and tablets. Once signed in, children get access to a growing library of games built around characters they already love, think Peppa Pig, Elmo, Cookie Monster, Big Bird and the Lorax.

Everything is instantly playable and works offline, which makes it genuinely useful for long car journeys, flights or any situation where you need five minutes of guaranteed peace.

Games currently available include:

• Playtime With Peppa Pig, where kids can care for guinea pigs, drive a bus and make smoothies

• Sesame Street games featuring memory cards and connect-the-dots with Elmo and friends

• Dr. Seuss titles including Horton, The Sneetches and Red Fish Blue Fish

• Bad Dinosaurs, which lets kids race tiny T-Rexes or make songs with a fartastic sound effects keyboard

• A colouring app featuring favourite characters

• Storybots sticker books and jigsaw puzzles

The app is currently live in the US, Canada, the UK, Australia, the Philippines and New Zealand, with a global rollout confirmed for 28 April.

New shows and returning favourites

Alongside the app launch, Netflix has also announced a wave of new and returning content for its younger audience. Trash Truck is coming back for a third season, and The Creature Cases is returning for Chapter 7, both of which have built loyal followings among preschool-aged viewers and their parents.

There is also a brand new series joining the lineup called Young MacDonald, a musical show following the playful grandson of Old MacDonald and his animal friends as they navigate farm life and solve problems together. It sounds like exactly the kind of gentle, cheerful programming that works well for both children and the adults who end up watching it with them.

What is coming and when

For those who like to plan ahead, Netflix has confirmed the following release dates:

• 13 April: My Sesame Street Friends: My Elmo, Season 1

• 20 April: CoComelon Lane, Season 7

• 27 April: My Sesame Street Friends: My Abby, Season 1

• 4 May: Dr. Seuss's Horton, Season 2

• 11 May: Mark Rober's CrunchLabs, Season 4

• 8 June: Sesame Street, Season 56, Volume 3

• This summer: Ms. Rachel, Season 3

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What about parental controls?

Netflix has also reinforced its parental control tools alongside the Playground launch. Parents can set up individual kids profiles with age-appropriate content, customise maturity settings, block specific titles, add PIN locks to adult profiles and review viewing history. It is a reasonably comprehensive set of tools for families who want to let children explore independently without completely letting go of the reins.

Between 2023 and 2025, kids content was the second most watched genre on Netflix overall, with shows like Gabby's Dollhouse, Ms. Rachel and Sesame Street consistently dominating viewing figures. The Playground launch feels like a natural next step for a platform that has clearly identified families as a core part of its audience.