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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 17; suggested age 15.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0

  • Common Sense says

    MySpace gets users involved in the 2008 election.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 15–17

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    The site's "Issues" section has an interactive quiz and printable scorecard that allows voters to see which candidate they most agree with on a variety of subjects. Icons used in this section are also highlighted on screen during live debates to alert users about which issue the candidates are discussing.
 

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Encourages teens and college students to watch the presidential debates, dig into the issues, register to vote, and get politically active. Some comments on the forum clearly don't pass the civil discourse test, but overall this site promotes good social and political interaction.

  • Violence:

    Debates and forum discussions sometimes raise issues like war, gun control, and terrorism, but no actual violence is shown.

  • Sex:

    As on MySpace.com, content depends largely on individual users' posts. Some users' forum photos are moderately sexually suggestive.

  • Language:

    While (so far) most comments on the forum appear remarkably respectful, some people post rude comments that include words like "crap" and "hell."

  • Consumerism:

    Ads for mainstream business like Foot Locker and Google. Political candidates' promos. Links to other MySpace sites that include ads.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Debates and forums may discuss the drug trade and related issues in a political context.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About MyDebates

Parents need to know that this site -- a one-stop shop for the 2008 presidential election -- is part of MySpace.com and therefore best for older teens and up. Not all forum discussions pass the civil discourse test, but such is life both on and off the Internet when politics are involved. You don't need to be a member of MySpace to use most of the features on this site -- like watching the debates, registering to vote, and reading about the issues -- but you do have to join to post comments on the forums.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about why it's important to get information about political candidates from a variety of sources. Why is it important to watch candidates debate? Why should you check the "facts" that people post on the forum with another source? What sources should you use? Talk about why voters should always look at political information with a critical eye. If your teen isn't old enough to vote, discuss other ways to be politically involved.
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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Parent Reviewer
    wallaceson
    I rate this title on for age 14 and give it 1.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational

    Flag as inappropriate
  2. Adult Reviewer
    amandaallheart60 ...
    Lives in New Jersey
    I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it 5.0

    come on now my kids can wach this

    weiard because if fell like it

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate
  3. Adult Reviewer
    Asiakingtravel
    I rate this title off for age 10 and give it 3.0

    csm7.test

    csm7.test

    This review...

    Helped me decide | Had useful details | Read my mind
    Flag as inappropriate

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