Gossip girl featres people who are willing to backstab others in order to get their way. But that's what it takes to get ahead in the upper east side. I think the role models are good because it tells kids that being lazy and not going to college will get you nowhere. Everyone aspires to be like them because they are rich, tell your kids that if they want to be rich and perfect like them they will have to get good grades and a higher education.
Gossip Girl
(Rated TV-14, Drama, Starring Blake Lively, Leighton Meester, Penn Badgley, Where to watch: CW, DVD, Online)
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
The O.C. on the East Coast; parents beware.
Themes in this show include: dating/crushes, friendship, materialism, peer pressure
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 15–18
What to watch out for
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Role models:
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Gossip Girl was written by Sierra Filucci
Parents need to know that this over-the-top teen soap is based on the best-selling book series. The young, privileged, label-obsessed characters drink, do drugs, have sex (including a threesome in one case), and treat each other badly. While some characters mean well, many are superficial and emotionally cruel or distant, and some are downright criminal (one feels so entitled by his social and financial position that he preys on vulnerable women and tries to sexually assault them). Characters play dirty tricks on each other and otherwise try to undermine, backstab, and hurt those who are supposed to be their friends. Suicide, eating disorders, rape, infidelity, and losing your virginity, and more are all part of the story, but they're not addressed in constructive or realistic ways.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about the behavior portrayed in teen soaps like this. Parents, watch with your teens, and ask them if their friends are doing what these kids are.
- Talk about safe sex and the consequences of drinking and hurting other people. Your conversations could lead to real revelations about your kids' lives or expectations.
- Try to put your two cents in about what's realistic and what isn't. Ask your kids how the issues and conflicts on the show are similar to and different from those in real teens' lives. Who are the "good" characters, and what makes them different from the "bad" ones?
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More on Gossip Girl
What’s the Story?
GOSSIP GIRL, based on Cecily-von-Ziegesar's best-selling book series of the same name, follows the exploits of privileged teens from Manhattan's wealthy Upper East Side as they hook up, party, and play out adult-sized dramas. At the heart of the action are best friends Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) and Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester). These two beautiful, rich girls rule the social scene at their elite private school, but their friendship becomes strained -- and sometimes vicious -- when they tussle over the same guy. Serena and Blair's schoolmates include Dan (Penn Badgley) and Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen), siblings with a more middle-class background whose father was a popular rock star in the '90s. But the sweet, charming, and well-behaved Humphrey kids are attracted to the rich kids' chic lifestyle, and, through their association with them, get tangled up in some not-so-nice business. The series is narrated by the titular Gossip Girl, an anonymous blogger who keeps track of all the popular kids' actions (secrets travel fast when everyone gets them via text message...).
Is It Any Good?
Because some of the creators of The O.C. are behind the show, it's no surprise that the addictive adolescent drama is chock full of bad behavior. These sophisticated, label-savvy teens have no problem getting served martinis at fancy hotels or smoking marijuana during walks in the park. Their parents are rarely good influences, either, since many are focused on their own problems. The mothers seem particularly jealous of their young daughters: One even tells her teen that she'll never be as beautiful or as thin as she is now, so she should make the most of this time.
It's all very titillating and addictive, but teens who watch (and they will) will surely get confusing ideas from the show. One particularly disturbing scene intercuts a wild makeout/sex scene with a sexual assault. How the two are connected, other than that the same girl was involved in both, is unclear, but some young viewers might get the message that all sex is bad -- or that the girl deserves the assault because she's been sexually active in the past, or even that the acts are nearly indistinguishable in that they're both vigorous and intense. Other scenes show teens spending money like crazy, drinking, smoking, and doing drugs in limos or in clubs, and generally having a great time with few repercussions. In other words, if you have teens, proceed with extreme caution.
Our Members Say
See all 64 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
A great complex show for kids 13 and up!!
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
Amusing and juicy, but not appropriate for everyone.
Season one of the show started to be fun and amusing. Season two introduced the characters a little bit more the the sark side of Manhattan. And Season three is just full of sex, betrayal and drama that overwhelms my mind; I don't watch it anymore. But On the positive side, in some way it can send a message of what NOT to do. But let's keep in our minds that it's a show, and what the producers want is rating, and that's what the show it's getting if it includes all that.
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Negative role models
- My highlights are:
Amazing, Addictive Show. But don't let anyone under 13 have a peek.
Lets be very, very honest. I love this show to death, but you should not let your kids watch this if they really like to act like the people on screen. This show is unreallistic and every parents worst nightmare. In the first season you actually see a boy attempt to sexually assault a girl. You see backstabbing, cheating and underage drinking and swearing. But as the show goes on, you start to see the light a bit. You see that the characters are growing up and that they are seeing the errors of their ways and finding ways to come back from their falls. Its a great show. If a parent reads this, know that in a nutshell, this is a great show for teens. But just make sure they know that this is very unreallistic stuff they are watching.
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
- Good role models
Perfect for teens, on how to rebuild there lives after mess up's.
OMG really? Your kids know about this. Most people in my class watch this- and the guys in my class are more inappropriate than this. Even thought they screw up ALOT -you see how it affects there lives, and how they rebuild it. It's a drama of course the scenes are dramatic. I feel bad for kids whose parents read this.
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I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
Age depends!
I'm 11, and I LOVE this show. I already know about everything that goes on. Great show.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents say the sexual behavior isn't age appropriate |
| 100% | of parents say it has language their kids can't use |
| 50% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 50% | of parents say there are good role models |
| 50% | of parents don't think the messages are positive |
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