Do you know Common Sense Media? You Should.

I tried to find a verified quote on the importance of an informed citizenry. There are lots of attributions to Thomas Jefferson. So, I'll write my own, sort of.

It seems obvious that the more information you have on a topic, the better your decision (and how you'll feel about it afterwards) will be. That is why the website Common Sense Media is a necessity if you want to make solid decisions (and YOU, not your child should be making those decisions!!) to help them navigate through their digital life. They offer ratings and recommendations and cautions by age for movies, TV, websites, video games and apps.

Common Sense Media was started in 2003. They operate strictly independently from any company, industry or political organization. They seek grants from organizations and foundations that are not affiliated with the media. They also accept sponsorships from companies that pose no conflict of interest regarding the media, and that support their goal of helping families make better media choices.

Here are their core beliefs, from their website:

Our Ten Beliefs

1. We believe in media sanity, not censorship.
2. We believe that media has truly become "the other parent" in our kids' lives, powerfully affecting their social, emotional, cognitive, and physical development.
3. We believe in teaching our kids to be savvy, respectful and responsible media users. We can’t cover their eyes but we can teach them to see.
4. We believe parents should have a choice and a voice about the media our kids consume and create. Every family is different but we all need to make informed choices.
5. We believe that the price for free and open media is a bit of work for families. Parents need to know about the media their kids use and need to teach responsible behavior as well as manage overall media use.
6. We believe that through informed decision making, we can improve the media landscape one decision at a time.
7. We believe appropriate regulations about right time, right place, and right manner exist. They need to be upheld by our elected and appointed leaders.
8. We believe in age-appropriate media and that the media industry needs to act responsibly as it creates and markets content for each audience.
9. We believe ratings systems should be independent and transparent for all media.
10. We believe in diversity of programming and media ownership.

I've used their website as a parent and as an Educator (it's the basis for WCPSS curriculum on Digital Citizenship). You can search and sort by age or media type. You can also read some great articles about parent concerns, like "What is the right age for my kid to use social media?" or "What can I do about all the ads my kids see online and in games?".

Please check out their website today!