Amazon expands kids subscription service

Amazon is adding content for children aged nine-12 to its Fire for Kids Unlimited subscription service, including Harry Potter and Dennis the Menace books.

The service, offering videos, educational apps, games and books for children, launched last year initially for children aged three-eight. However, Amazon is now expanding the service to target older children aged nine-12 ensuring content “grows as your kids grow”.

Amazon did not reveal many details about the books that will be available in the expanded service, but said it will offer “hundreds of books, including titles like Guinness World Records, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, iCarly, Dragonborn, Myth-O-Mania, Dennis the Menace and Gnasher, Harry Potter, and The Boy’s Book of Adventure”.

Age-appropriate videos will also be available through the service, for example Legend of Korra, Gortimer Gibbons and Thunderbirds Are Go, as well as apps and games that are free from in-app purchasing and advertising.

Jorrit Van der Meulen, vice-president of Amazon Devices EU, said the company is also launching “Fire for Kids Smart Filters” which will allow parents to control what their children are seeing.

“Younger kids still have the freedom to explore titles that are appropriate for their age group, while older kids get to play Monument Valley and see videos, apps, games and books that are just right for them,” he said.

Finally, Amazon has created a ‘Fire for Kids’ web browser that screens age-appropriate YouTube videos and website.

Fire for Kids Unlimited costs £1.99 per month for Prime members and £3.99 per month for customers who are not Prime members.

In 2014, Amazon announced the launch of its Kindle Unlimited subscription service in the UK, including titles such as the Harry Potter series from Pottermore and Kindle Singles from authors such as Stephen King and Susan Hill, along with Kindle exclusives.