On Feb. 1, Netflix announced its plan to enforce stricter password-sharing guidelines. These new guidelines include a strict limit on the number of users that are permitted on each account. IP verification of logins and other tools will be utilized to detect logins from households outside the main holder’s address. 

The streaming platform revealed that devices using a Netflix account would need to be logged into their household network every 30 days. Otherwise, the account would be blocked.

According to Netflix’s website, accounts are only allowed to be shared in one household. The website defines a  household as the group of people in one house.Netflix states that people who are not in your household will need to sign up for their own account to be able to watch Netflix.

Just days after announcing these new guidelines to enforce less password-sharing, Netflix claimed that the announcement was posted by accident.  

“No one’s going to pay for that, because the only reason that people use Netflix is purely because they don’t have ads already,” said Zayne Ridge, freshman Psychology major. “These new changes and ‘accidents’ are just going to open up the opportunity for their competitors to swoop in and give users a reason to switch to another platform.” 

Recently, the platform said it will begin notifying their users in Canada through email about their new limitations on who can access their account from outside the account holder’s household. Netflix stated that an ad-supported plan that can be used by one person on one device in one location will be launched — and that plan will cost $5.99 per month.

“I have a few streaming platforms, like Amazon Prime, Hulu, HBO Max and Netflix,” said Matthew Seton, senior marketing major. “I use all of those because they offer a lot of variety, and I don’t have any ads. Some of the accounts are my own. Mainly, my friends and I just share multiple accounts together.” 

A GC poll was taken to gauge students’ reactions to the major platforms’ recent actions and announcements. Eleven percent of students said that they would purchase the Netflix ad-supported plan, while 89% of students said they would not purchase the new plan if it was offered. 

Netflix is facing a lot of backlash due to their recent changes, and many students at GC are on the same page.

Eighty-seven percent of GC students surveyed said that they shared an account with users from another household. 

“Thankfully, I just use my parents’ Netflix account, so it wouldn’t affect me financially if Netflix did stick to their ‘every 30 day’ rule,” said Kassandra Garland, junior mass communication major. “I wouldn’t personally pay for another Netflix account, but I really do use Netflix, but I’m in college, and I don’t go home every 30 days, so it really feels unfair.”

This new change might cause issues for college students that use their parents’ Netflix account in their college housing. Even though students are still part of the family, they will not qualify under the single-household rule. 

“If their account is allowed to have multiple users on it, then why does it matter where the account holder is watching from?” Garland said.