Netflix recently announced a price hike for subscribers, and now, it's starting to restrict password sharing.

Admit it: You or someone you know probably mooches off their parents' Netflix account. It's a common practice, where multiple subscribers who don't live in the same household all share a single Netflix account with different user profiles set up. But it looks like that might soon be a thing of the past, as Netflix has revealed it's now prompting some users to pay an extra fee if they want to continue sharing. Netflix said accounts being shared between households has been impacting its ability to invest in new content, so it's finally cracking down.

In a blog post published Wednesday 16 March, Chengyi Long, director of product innovation, explained: "While these have been hugely popular, they have also created some confusion about when and how Netflix can be shared. As a result, accounts are being shared between households - impacting our ability to invest in great new TV and films for our members".

Netflix is therefore testing a new approach in three countries: Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. Subscribers will now be asked to add an extra viewer to their package at a discounted price of 2,380 CLP in Chile, 2.99 USD in Costa Rica, and 7.9 PEN in Peru. Members on the standard and premium subscription plans will see a new option to add "sub accounts" for up to two people they don’t live with, and each will get their own "profile, personalised recommendations, login, and password - at a lower price", Netflix said.

In addition, Netflix will begin offering the ability to easily transfer viewing profiles into new accounts.

The company didn't say if it plans to expand this test and new features globally. But, last year, Netflix tested on a small scale an account verification tool that essentially prevented subscribers from sharing accounts, so this certainly isn't the first time the streaming service has restricted sharing.