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iCarly

(Rated TV-Y7, Comedy, Starring Nathan Kress, Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, Where to watch: Nickelodeon, DVD, Online)
  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 5, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Interactive show meshes characters' online, real lives.

Themes in this show include:   friendship

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    The show isn't designed to be educational, per se, but young viewers will learn a bit about interacting with media.
  • Messages:

    While friendship is very important on the show and the characters typically learn a lesson from any iffy behavior, not every take-away is positive. Sometimes the characters make questionable choices.
  • Role models:

    Carly is a strong, independent female character. But there's also some good-nature bullying, and Carly and Sam get into some sticky situations -- for instance, when they get caught gossiping about their peers in a video that's posted online (a situation that veers on cyberbulling). They also give out personal information on the Web at least once (a big no-no). The only authority figure is a young adult male who acts more like a kid than his tween sister does.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence & scariness:

    Some pushing and shoving among students, and a man falls from a ladder in one scene, but there's no injury.
  • Sexy stuff:

    Mild flirting among tweens, and one boy relentlessly pursues his female crush. Girls refer to boys as "hot." One scene includes a mention of the shape of a woman's boobs.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    The series and its sister Web site promote each other. Characters often encourage viewers to log on to the site to send in emails and videos for consideration for the show.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About iCarly

Parents need to know that this semi-interactive tween comedy -- which stars Miranda Cosgrove of Drake & Josh -- asks its young viewers to contribute material through its real-life Web site (iCarly.com). Characters reference the site many times in each episode, encouraging kids to log on and check out blogs and additional show footage, as well as submit their own story ideas, comments, and videos, some of which will be used on air. The show itself is fairly benign, featuring the standard amount of boy/girl flirting and other tween issues.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the Internet. What kinds of things can you see online? Is it good or bad to be able to access so much information and content? How does the Web affect your relationship with other people?
  •  What are some of the dangers associated with Internet use? Has anyone you know ever been bullied or otherwise mistreated online? How? What did they do?
  • Remind your kids that they should never say anything online that they wouldn't say to someone's face, and make sure tweens understand your rules for using the Internet, especially regarding uploading videos and providing personal information to any Web site. For more on Internet safety, click here.

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Our Members Say

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See all 203 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    eventually, kids will learn to hate it

    to be honest, the show has gotten alot worser than from the first season. my little cousins ( who's 5,9, and 10) would wait a week for the new icarly episode.when they finally see it, they're so dissapointed.i heard them say " that's it?".besides, every character seems funny but carly.

  2. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Texas
    I rate this title on for age 7 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    Healthy Girl Role-Models

    My kids love this show, and so do I. I think Carly is a great role model for loyalty, friendship, good grades and more. The girls are never dressed overly sexy or suggestive, they are dressed age-appropriate in my opinion; unlike Hannah Montana. I give it 3 lil' thumbs up!

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message

    • My highlights are:
    • Good role models

    Sexual humor snuck in makes it not for younger kids

    First off, there's a lot of sexual humor in this show. Female breast jokes (including bra jokes) are very common, and in one episode an angry musician calls everyone "hobknockers", which means someone who molests animals. Some stunts done can be dangerous if kids imitate them, and messages aren't exactly positive. Sam constantly tortures Freddie for no apparent reason, for one. It's a good show, but I'd say about 11+. Iffy for 9-11, Off for any kids younger.

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Some episodes are a little iffy

    Most of the episodes are generally OK for tweens, but some of them are a little iffy.

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 3.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content

    Some episodes are a little iffy

    Most of the episodes are generally OK for tweens, but some of them are a little iffy.

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