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.
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Wikipedia.org
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings(Flash is loading. If this text does not disappear you need to install the latest flash version)
Not age appropriate for kids under 14, age appropriate for kids over 16; suggested age 14. -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Collaborative reference: Research with caution.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 14–16
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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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
About Wikipedia.org
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.
Read our full review by Ellen Dendy
Families Can Talk About
- 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?
Our Members Say
See all 90 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
- I rate this title iffy for age 9 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
Do not trust Wikipedia
- I rate this title on for age 12 and give itMy concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- 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!
- I rate this title off for age 12 and give itMy concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
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.)
- I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give itMy 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!
- I rate this title iffy for age 17 and give itMy 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.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 100% | of parents feel user generated content is iffy |
| 50% | of parents feel users contributed great content |
| 50% | of parents say it's educational |
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