Learn how to access and set Parental Controls on your Shaw Digital Box. By configuring the Parental Control Settings on your Digital Box, you can lock programming according to its TV or Movie rating, channel number, or program title, as well as restrict access to Shaw on Demand and Shaw Pay Per View services.
Customers with Gateway HDPVR, HD Guide or BlueCurve TV Digital Boxes can view our articles for those cable boxes for specific Parental Controls setup instructions.
Video Tutorial: How to set up Parental Controls using the Classic Guide
Watch this video on how to set up Parental Controls on the Classic Guide.
Video Tutorial: How to set up Parental Controls on the Classic Guide
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Initial Setup
In order to use parental controls on your Digital Box you must first set up a private PIN. This PIN will be required to access any content that has had a restriction put upon it, as well as the parental control settings.
- Press MENU/SETTINGS twice on your Shaw Remote to display the Main Menu in a full screen
- Press the DOWN arrow until you reach Setup
- Press OK
- Navigate to the Parental Control Setup option using the arrow buttons
- Press OK
- Enter a 4-digit PIN of your choice. This is the PIN that will be required to be able to make changes to the Parental Control Setup in the future
- Enter the PIN again to confirm
- The menu below should appear once the PIN has been entered and confirmed. Use the ARROW buttons on your Shaw remote to highlight the option you wish to change, then press OK
Parental Control Setting Options
Note: If you have more than one digital box in your home, you will need to configure each box separately to apply the Parental Controls Locks.
How to set Movies and TV Rating Locks
Follow these steps to set Movie Rating or TV Rating locks.
Setting Movie Rating Locks
Movie ratings only affect Shaw On Demand orders (Pay Per View titles are treated as channels when it comes to their content rating system. See TV Rating Locks for Pay Per View lock options.)
- Navigate to the parental controls settings
- Choose Movie Ratings Locks
- Press OK when a rating is highlighted to enable/disable the lock. A padlock will appear to the right of the rating description to indicate that the rating has been locked. If you attempt to order a movie with a locked Movie Rating, a PIN will be required.
Movie Rating Guidelines
G/F: General audiences
PG: Parental guidance suggested
PG-13/AA: Parents strongly cautioned
R: Restricted
NC-17: No one 17 and under
Adult: Adult audiences only
Note: You can press the LAST button on your Shaw Remote to return to the previous menu, and EXIT to exit the menu and resume watching TV.
TV Ratings Locks
These ratings affect regular TV channels and Pay Per View channels based on the TV show or movie’s rating.
- Navigate to the parental controls settings
- Choose TV Ratings Locks
- Press OK when a rating is highlighted to enable/disable the lock. A padlock will appear to the right of the rating description to indicate that the rating has been locked.
- If you attempt to view a channel airing a program with a locked TV Rating, a PIN will be required to unlock the channel it is being broadcast on.
- Press the LAST button on your Shaw Remote to return to the previous menu, and EXIT to exit the menu and resume watching TV
TV Rating Options
TV Rating Guidelines
C: For all children
G: For general audiences
PG: Parental guidance suggested
14+: Parents strongly cautioned
18+: For mature audiences only
How to set Master Locks
Once parental controls have been set up on your Digital Box you can either remove them completely, or bypass all locks temporarily by accessing the master lock setting.
Bypass Locks:
This option allows you to temporarily disable all of the locks you have set and to re-enable them later on, without having to re-configure each individual lock again. To bypass master locks:
- Navigate to the parental controls settings
- Choose Master Locks
- Highlight "Bypass Locks" and select Yes by pressing the RIGHT arrow button to temporarily bypass all locks. You will be prompted to confirm your selection again
- Choose Bypass all locks and press OK.
Bypass Master Locks
To reactivate the locks after temporarily bypassing them:
- Press MENU/SETTINGS twice
- Press the DOWN arrow until you reach Setup and press OK
- Navigate to the Parental Control Setup option using the arrow buttons and press OK
- Press the UP arrow to highlight the icon next to Turn On Locks and press OK
- Enter your 4-digit PIN at this point when prompted
To Remove all Locks:
Navigate to the parental controls settings, then choose Master Locks. Highlight "Remove all locks" and select Yes by pressing the RIGHT arrow button on your Shaw Remote to remove all previously set locks. You will be prompted to confirm your selection again; choose Remove All Locks and press OK.
PIN Setup
Clear Purchase PIN
This is the PIN required to unlock the Parental Control Settings menu, and any Movie Rating, TV Rating, Service (Video On Demand), Channel and Title locks. To clear the Parental Control locks and remove the PIN requirement for any of the previously mentioned locks, enter your current 4-digit PIN.
If no PIN is currently set or you have accidentally cleared the Locks PIN, it will display: Enter new Locks PIN: Simply enter your 4-digit PIN again to reactivate your locks, and re-enter the 4-digit PIN again if asked to confirm.
Enter new Purchase PIN
This is the PIN required to authorize a purchase made through Pay Per View or On Demand, on your Digital Box, even if the title is free in Shaw On Demand. When an attempt is made to order a title through your Digital Box, you will be prompted for this PIN. You can set this PIN to be identical to the Locks PIN, or you can choose a different PIN. If a PIN is already set, it will display To Clear, Enter Current Purchase PIN:
If power is lost, would you like to lock all programs until ratings and titles are restored?: Having this option set to YES will prevent the locks from being disabled after the Digital Box has been unplugged from power. Otherwise, if the Digital Box is unplugged, the locks will need to be set up again.
How to set Service Locks
Service locks are used to lock and unlock access to Shaw On Demand. Once the lock is enabled, a PIN will be required each time Shaw On Demand is accessed.
- Navigate to the parental controls settings
- Choose Service Locks
- Press OK to lock access to Shaw On Demand through your Digital Box, and a padlock icon will appear.
Lock Shaw On Demand Access
How to hide titles
The "hide titles" setting allows you to prevent adult and mature titles from being shown on the Interactive Guide. Hiding titles will not prevent access to them. To restrict access to the program, set a TV Rating Lock.
Navigate to the parental controls settings, then choose Hide Titles. Press OK to activate one of the following options:
- Adult, 18+: Hide titles of Adult (18+) programs
- Adult: Hide titles of Adult programs
- Do not hide titles: Do not hide titles is the default selection
Hide Titles on the Guide
How to set Channel and Title Locks
Review the following steps on how to order how to set a Channel Lock or a Title Lock.
Channel Locks
Channel Locks can be used to lock individual channels.
- Navigate to the parental controls settings
- Choose Channel Locks
- Scroll through the channels using the UP/DOWN arrow buttons on your Shaw Remote
- Press OK to lock/unlock a channel (locked channels are marked with a padlock icon)
Locking an individual channel
Title Locks
The "title locks" setting will lock the show that is currently playing. Navigate to the parental controls settings, then choose Title Locks. Press OK to lock/unlock the title (the title is locked when marked with a padlock icon.)
Lock an Individual Title
You can also lock a title directly through the Interactive Guide by performing the following steps:
- Press the GUIDE button on your Shaw Remote
- Locate the program title you would like to lock by navigating through the Guide and ensure the title is highlighted
- Press INFO
- Scroll to the lock icon on the far right and press OK
Lock Through Browsing
