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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 16; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    4.0
  • Common Sense says

    Collaborative reference: Research with caution.

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 14–16

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Comprehensive reference covers conventional and unconventional topics.

What to watch out for

  • Messages:

    Rigorous ethics guidelines are administered; vandals occasionally add hateful commentary to entries.
  • Violence:

    In general, searches limited to school topics are presented in an academic manner, but main entries may include links to iffy content on and off the site. Watch for less conventional topics including violent video games, gangs, and adult media of all types. Occasionally malicious contributors add violent content, which is usually, but not always, removed quickly.
  • Sex:

    Includes encyclopedic-type entries for porn stars, R- and X-rated movies, explicit song lyrics and more; same adult pages can include graphic images. Searches limited to school work and kid-specific media are safer, but entries may include links to other iffy content on and off the site. Occasionally malicious contributors add sexually inappropriate content, which is usually, but not always, removed quickly.
  • Language:

    Entries for topics including TV shows, films, video games, music, celebrities (and much more) may include inappropriate language (like video and song downloads with explicit lyrics and crass humor). Wikipedia entries that pass muster with parents may include links to other Wikipedia entries with bad language. Occasionally malicious contributors ruin entries by inserting bad language, which is usually, but not always, removed quickly.
  • Consumerism:

    Entries for commercial products; some external links lead to commercial-heavy sites.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Entries and associated content may include discussion and images of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Wikipedia.org was written by Ellen Dendy

Parents need to know that everyone uses this evolving collaborative encyclopedia to do research. But, while the millions of topics include many well-researched, kid-friendly entries, they also include some kid-inappropriate ones. The site does sometimes monitor the material posted, but it's just so enormous that the potential for kids to stumble upon age-inappropriate -- or inaccurate -- text and photos is there. Entries can also include links to outside sites, and kids can post and receive unedited messages in the discussion areas.

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 nature of a collaborative encyclopedia. Why is it important to use Wikipedia simply as a launching pad for more extensive research? Families can also talk about the ways to double-check a Wikipedia entry against more formal references. How do you navigate through such large amounts of information and find what's important?
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More on Wikipedia.org

What’s the Story?

WIKIPEDIA.ORG fuses those 12 old-school volumes of hardback encyclopedias into one URL with a wealth of information on geography, the arts, history, and other standard encyclopedic categories, along with kid-friendly, pop-culture entries on comic strips, toys, and TV shows.

Is It Any Good?

The most important thing to know about this collaborative encyclopedia is that anyone with an Internet connection can edit entries, and while the site does have rigorous guidelines and a system to catch and eliminate bad content, they just can't keep up with the millions of constantly changing entries. (Malicious content is removed as quickly as possible and hard-hit entries are locked down from further editing.) And you can guarantee that your curious kid will find all the detailed entries you wished he hadn't (pornography, explicit song lyrics, long-winded definitions of dirty words). The carefully researched, comprehensive entries do exist, but a disclaimer states that stuff may be wrong and to use the site as just one of many reference tools. You might also want to check out the discussion areas before your kid freely posts or gets any messages.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Safety is an issue
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    PG-13 or above

    NOT WIKI i do not like wiki anymore, but i like to go there but when i edit, create, +comment and sign in or register will be danger people. yeah, they can't share your website itis not right, and its just not safe might people hurt you, see you, or poke you or delete your texts, Have You Seen Ober Elemantary School i am from 31a and have you seen Mrs. Henson's Husband (Mr. Henson) he was a king who typed "unnews: sesame street rated tv-ma" yeah go to unnews that's not a nice nice nice nice note, it has bad things like p%!n, sexy, s@#, z**philia, s*ut movies and shows it might contain including bad things, AOL is better than WIKI, but I DON'T LIKE TO H@TE to Funny as H#!!! you are not n@!^# but hell no, or heck heck is a nice way of saying h@!!! but of saying (d*uchey, ass, p**no)! well SH** UP! THEY NEVER SAYING "S**T". thank you, wiki is good for nobody, it is like inappropriate dialogue, language, humor all that stuff like that its like holy or moly or poly seems like a god like oh my g*d is a bad word. i h*te saying oh my g*d (Rated: PG-13/NC)

  2. I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Safety is an issue
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • User content is age appropriate

    A Great Reference Tool

    Though kids can create profiles, close monitoring fixes this. There is an ongoing myth that you may learn bad knowledge or see inappropriate words in the middle of nowhere because of trolls, but this is just not true.

  3. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Safety isn't an issue

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • User content is age appropriate

    Some very extreme explicit content, but if used under supervision it is fine for younger children.

    Wikipedia contains many articles on inappropriate content including p--n, z--philia, s-- moves, etc etc. It even contains an explicit image of a woman engaging in z--philia. Explicit images of s-- moves. Some explicit language. Wikipedia is also a very good and helpful place, so that is the only reason why I've rated it iffy for 17+ instead of off for 17 and under.

  5. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give it 2.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language
    • Negative message

    Do not trust Wikipedia

    Wikipedia is not an okay site to use. What anyone should know is that anyone can go onto Wikipedia and change the content on it. Although some content might be true, it is possible to find information that is fictional. Whenever I have projects I never use Wikipedia. Only use information from there if you know it is true. You should stick to websites that have a suffix of: ".org" ".edu" or ".gov" and just like many sites on the web, there are some bad words on Wikipedia that children should not read about.

  6. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    Lives in Wyoming
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational

    An ok site...............................

    A pretty good reference site, be cautious Wikipedia isn't too reliable. Pretty good info and research stuff. Foul language is a small issue, To avoid lots of stuff Just watch your search results! .........Not a bad site!

  7. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    I rate this title off for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message

    This website can contain things that are too mature for younger people. Even the word "F**K"can be used. (By age 12 people should know that word.)

  8. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • User content is age appropriate

    Wikipedia is a site too many have become reliant on, even though it is a fan published site. Only accept information if 100% correct. Try Wookieepedia for Star Wars fans!

  9. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Illinois
    I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give it 3.0
    • My concerns are:
    • User content isn't age appropriate

    I'm really surprised this would be considered a "homework helper". What parents really need to know is that all the items on Wikipedia are user-generated. While some of the material on the site may be factual, other items are not. Still more items are heavily slanted due to the biases of the individuals who wrote the wiki entries. Students, especially college-bound students, need to be told that Wikipedia should only be used as a jumping off point. It's one thing to use it as a starting place to generate ideas and find initial sources, but in most cases, it should not be used as the primary source for a paper. Students need to be taught how to evaluate online sources and in most cases high schools are not doing a good enough job so those early college papers come as a rude awakening.

  10. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • User content is age appropriate

    I always trust Wikipedia

    i love this site!!!!

  11. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue

    Good site

    Lots of inappropriate stuff. Good site

  12. Parent Reviewer
    Lives in Massachusetts
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • User content is age appropriate

    The world's encyclopedia, very educational

    Wikipedia is just jam-packed with (mostly correct) information. It's a great jumping off spot for formal research and for informal research, there is nothing better (other than more topic-specific wikis). Sure, your kids might run accross something innapropriate, but the vast majority of content (and wikipedia is nothing but vast) is excelent. Also, wikipedia is participatory. So if your kid is an expert at Star Wars for example, he/she can go in and add to the Star Wars page or correct an error, make a comment, etc.

  13. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Negative message
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    Not perfect, but reliable at the least bit

    I absolutely adore wikipedia. It is a great online resource that adds to my random yet nearly endless memory. Of course, Security is not a problem, unless you release your phone number on a page, and the user-content is corrected when vandals decide to sneak in. It's a good website, but it's not always reliable.

  14. Teen Reviewer Age 16
    Lives in North Carolina
    I rate this title iffy for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    Good site, but not always reliable or appropriate

    Simply put, this is an encyclopedia covering every topic on the face of the planet. Obviously, there's going to be a lot of inappropriate content... IF you look for it specifically. Its 100% user-generated nature also makes it a very useful, though sometimes unreliable research tool that should be used as a jumping-off point instead of a source.

  15. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title off for age 17 and give it 1.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Safety is an issue
    • User content isn't age appropriate

    Blah! :(

    On Wikipedia anyone can say anything about a subject that they want even if it is not true, or is innapropriat. Kids think that it is a good resource, but it is not.

  16. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    Lives in New York
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational

    WATCH OUT!

    The worst thing I saw was an anime image of a naked girl sitting on the back of a naked man lying on a bed. O_O

  17. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title on for age 9 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • User content is age appropriate

    If you trust your kids, let 'em at it.

    Ok, look... This is one of those times I gotta quote Spider-man: "With great power comes great responsibility." Now, ponder that and tell me if your kids are responsible enough to know anything they ever wanted to with a few keystrokes. Do you trust them not to look up profane, sexual, or otherwise inappropriate things? If you answered "Yes", Wikipedia is for you AND your children. That's right, YOU TOO, supermom. In fact, I used to be on Wikipedia more than Gaia Online, Facebook, and Newgrounds COMBINED, just looking up video games (Im an avid gamer and aspiring programmer) and random stuff to add to my attache case of useless knowledge. I believe VERY STRONGLY Wikipedia is the most well-made, Well-Kept, and most fun site EVER. Over all... If you raised your kid right and they can read and type, let them go on for the love of Lob...

  18. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in California
    I rate this title iffy for age 10 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational

    Would you ban Google for 14-year olds?

    This website is very resourceful, and will give information on just about everything, which some may consider a dangerous thing. But Wikipedia simply gives you what YOU search for! It is rare to end up on an inappropriate page by searching "Christopher Columbus" or "Eiffel Tower" or "Dentures." Are you going to rate Google for ages 18+ and ban it from the house because you can search for bad content? Just like Google, Wikipedia is an essential tool and is fine for everyday purposes.

  19. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 7 and give it 5.0

    My Review

    Like all other socal and collaborative web sites there are occasionally pitfalls of things parents may find inappropreate. I think that with parental control it's safe for all ages

  20. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Pennsylvania
    I rate this title on for age 2 and give it 5.0

    Very good

    I love it no matter how dumb it is, and I don't usually search for inappropriate content. But why am I in NOT AGE APPROPRIATE? I shouldn't be. Does sex include if you were to do a research report on humans, and when you search for it, you look at the first image? I don't usually search for such crap like that. Our school allows us to use Wikipedia.

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