Common Sense Note
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 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?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Ellen Dendy
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.
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.
For reference sites that don't require as much adult supervision, head on over to SocialStudiesforKids.com, HomeworkSpot, and www.Britannica.com.
Reviewed: 08/17/2007
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Sexual ContentIncludes 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. |
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ViolenceIn 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. |
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LanguageEntries 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. |
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Social BehaviorRigorous ethics guidelines are administered; vandals occasionally add hateful commentary to entries. |
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CommercialismEntries for commercial products; some external links lead to commercial-heavy sites. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoEntries and associated content may include discussion and images of drugs, alcohol, and tobacco. |
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Educational ValueComprehensive reference covers conventional and unconventional topics. |
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