Common Sense about Media for Your Children
It's impossible to keep up with all the Websites, movies, videos, games, and music available today. So how do you know what media titles to select for your children?
The site Common Sense Media is packed with reviews, which can help you when you're not exactly sure in a particular selection will be appropriate for your children. One the site you can select categories such as games, television shows, Websites, movies, etc. and then search by title and age.
Let's say you've heard of the site EcoKids and want to know more about it. Just log on to Common Sense Media, select Websites, and type in EcoKids. What you'll get is a rating of the site, a brief review (with a link telling you about the author), and a chart indicating if there are any problems related to sexual content, violence, and language. There's also information on what is called "Message". This part targets social behavior, commercialism, drug/alcohol/tobacco, and educational value. EcoKids, by the way, is given a "green light", indicating that it's an excellent site for kids seven and over.
If a media selection is given a yellow light, it means you should check out the site with your children in mind before you decide if the site is appropriate. A red light means that a selection isn't appropriate for the age children it is targeting or that it simply isn't recommended by Common Sense Media.
If you want to get Common Sense newsletters delivered by email, sign up for the publication on the site. The newsletters often contain articles and ratings related to selections that target seasonal events such as Christmas, Mother's Day, Fourth of July, etc.
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