About Our Ratings

Because media profoundly affects our kids' social, emotional, and physical development, Common Sense Media rates media based on age appropriateness. We rely on developmental criteria from some of the nation's leading authorities to determine what content is appropriate for which ages. Our goal is to give you trustworthy information so that you can decide what works for your family. We know every family and every kid is different — but all families need information to make great media choices.

For each title, we indicate the age for which a title is either appropriate or most relevant (as in, most likely your kids will see it) and assign an ON (age appropriate), IFFY (somewhat edgy for the age), or OFF (not age appropriate) rating.

We help you decide: Is It Age Appropriate?

The Decider Slider quickly tells you whether something is right for a given age. This is great if you have more than one child.

1. What Age?
We call out the minimum age for which the content is appropriate or relevant. Sometimes a movie or a game is right for an 11-year-old, and sometimes it's something an 11-year-old wants to see or play. Not necessarily the same thing! Either way, we bring it to your attention.

2. Content OK for Kids?
Just because your kids want to see something dosn't mean it's age appropriate.

• Green means that the content is appropriate for the highlighted age
• Yellow indicates that there's some iffy stuff
• Red warns the content is not age appropriate
• Gray "Not for Kids" ratings is for media that's not intended for kids in any way but still might be something kids want to see, hear, or play

Is It Any Good?

One star? Five stars? Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. We think you want to know how enjoyable something is before plunking down those twenties for something that will bore you to tears.

Why We Rate Something ON, IFFY, or OFF for an Age

Right below our ratings, we have a Content Grid with icons that highlight specific content concerns—both positive and negative—along with in-depth information. We have different icons for different kinds of reviews. If no icon is highlighted, that means the content isn't an issue. If three are highlighted, that means there’s a fair amount, and five highlighted icons indicates there's lots of it.

What Parents Need to Know

This is a short guide to all the essential information that parents need to know to make a decision quickly—or manage a decision that’s already been made.

Families Can Talk About

Our kids are really influenced by the media they see, hear, and interact with. We offer families easy ways to put their two cents in so that parents can be sure their kids get the messages that families want to give.