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Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media

Common Sense Media is dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the trustworthy information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in a world of media and technology. We exist because our kids are growing up in a media culture that profoundly impacts their physical, social, and emotional well-being. Through our media reviews and ratings, education programs, and policy efforts, we help parents and educators guide kids to become safe, smart, and responsible digital citizens. Learn more at Common Sense Media.

Articles written by Common Sense Media

1 - 10 of 16
Maximize Learning with Technology With New Common Sense Media Ratings

Common Sense Media on 4/24/12

tags: mobile, smartphone

Looking for fun games that require critical thinking skills? Cool apps that exercise creative muscles? Engaging websites that encourage vocabulary building through collaboration? Check out new learning ratings for websites, apps, and games from Common Sense Media. These new ratings are designed to help parents identify the digit... more »

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Bullying is Everyone’s Business

Common Sense Media on 10/5/11

tags: cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is a complex system With the statistics piling up, it has become increasingly clear that the cruelties inflicted by cyberbullying have become a devastating reality for the majority of tweens and teens. While bullying is nothing new, when it takes place in the digital world, it's like public humiliation on ster... more »

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Is It Really Smart to Give Kids Your Old Smartphone?

Common Sense Media on 2/1/11

tags: mobile, smartphone

Hand-Me-Down Tech May Give Kids More Than You Bargained For I'm the baby of my family, so I was the one who got the hand-me-downs. Nearly every winter coat and pair of snow boots passed from my brother to my sister to me. And while I can't say I loved a certain threadbare, brown corduroy jacket, it kept me warm, and it sure hel... more »

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Be a Good Digital Citizen: Tips for Teens and Parents

Common Sense Media on 12/17/10

tags: digital reputation, education, online etiquette, social networking, texting

With Power Comes Responsibility In fall 2010, Common Sense Media brought its digital citizenship campaign to Omaha, Neb., in the first of many joint town hall events with MTV and the Family Violence Prevention Fund. Combining MTV's "A Thin Line" campaign with the Family Violence Prevention Fund's "That's Not Cool" initiativ... more »

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Getting Started

Common Sense Media on 8/14/10

tags: digital reputation, online etiquette, privacy

1. Guard your privacy. What people know about you is up to you. 2. Protect your reputation. Think twice before you reveal too much. What’s funny or edgy today could cost you tomorrow... more »

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Managing Kid’s Search Queries: What Parents Need to Know

Common Sense Media on 8/14/10

tags: digital reputation, Facebook, mature content, privacy, safe search, Search

Where Kids Go Online Ever wonder what your kids are looking for online? It’s not the name of the 26th president. In fact, because kids use search engines like Google to explore, their online queries may not show up when you check their browser histories. So how can you manage what you can’t see? Norton Online Family’s Top 100 ... more »

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Parental Controls – Advice and Answers

Common Sense Media on 8/11/10

tags: parental controls, safe search, Search

To filter or not to filter? According to a 2007 study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 53% of parents say they have filtering software on the computer their child uses at home, and 85% of parents of online teens say they have rules about Internet sites their child can or cannot visit. A 2009 ... more »

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Protecting Personal Privacy Online

Common Sense Media on 8/8/10

tags: digital footprint, digital reputation, Facebook, online etiquette, passwords, privacy, texting

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Back to School Lessons for Parents

Common Sense Media on 8/6/10

tags: online etiquette, schools, social networking

Getting Schooled in Back to School It never fails. Every year when school starts, I find that parents are the ones learning a new lesson. For me, it was the moment my son came home from his first day of middle school with a unique assignment: to log into the school's online communication site. The site would be his main way of ... more »

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Rules of the Road for Parents

Common Sense Media on 8/6/10

tags: cyberbullying, Facebook, online etiquette, smartphone

Rules of the Road for Parents A few years ago, there was no such thing as Facebook, cyberbullying, iPhones, YouTube, or texting. But we live in a world of rapidly changing media and tech, where our kids are far more plugged in digitally than we are. In fact, according to a 2010 media-use study in the U.S., kids are spending ... more »

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