Ask Kids

Review

Common Sense Media says

Search engine delivers age-appropriate info; outside links.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
10
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that Ask Kids is an educational site for kids that delivers age-appropriate information in the form of a search engine. The home page offers sections on movies, games, and answers. In the movies and games sections kids can find age-appropriate reviews and entertainment. The site's answers section offers facts about nature, schools, math, history, science, and much more. Most of the content is safe and informative, but there are links to other sites that may not be as kid-friendly. Also, some links are broken and some questions come back with irrelevant answers -- both which will no doubt frustrate kids. There are also sponsored links and banner ads.

  • Positive messages3
    Encourages asking questions and provokes thought for further discussions.
  • Violence3
    The search engine provides links for information on war and death. These links are educational and informative sites that teach history, but may provide more remote links within. 
  • Sex0
    Typing "sex" or other sexy words does not produce any search results.
  • Language0
    Typing swear words does not produce any search results.
  • Consumerism3
    The site has sponsored ads on each page, as well as banners ads.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking1
    The site offers pharmaceutical information and facts about what happens to a person's lungs when they choose to smoke.
  • Privacy & safety3
    The site does not ask for personal information but does track where the search engine takes each user, for marketing purposes. The tracker information is only shared with a third party if required to do so by law. There are many external links that do not guarantee a safe platform.
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What's it about?

ASKFORKIDS.COM allows kids to type in their questions or question fragments. Ask can even check the spelling of kids' search words, and suggest a replacement, if needed. If a child types "math help," she is then given a choice: "We know these answers: 'Where can I find homework help on math?'; 'Where can I find the definition of a math term?'"; and more. Clicking on any of these selections should load a child-friendly Web site where the answer may be found.

Is it any good?

 

ASK KIDS is an educational site that sparks imagination and curiosity. Kids can plug anything they wish into the search engine and a plethora of information is provided -- that is, if it's age-appropriate. The site provides content and links that have been hand-picked by professionals that are identifiably kid-friendly and educational. Mature themes and adult content are filtered to the best of the site's ability; however, because of external links this is not guaranteed. Overall, Ask Kids does a good job of providing a safe and educational platform where kids can discover the world and find answers to their many inquiries.

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What families can talk about

  • Families can talk about looking up information online. What sources are reliable for kids? How do you know when you can trust a site's information? What is the proper way to cite Internet sources?

  • Families can also discuss Internet safety.

This review was written by Karen Wirsing
Parent of 12 and 13 year old
May 14, 2010
AGE
2
 
more than ask*
Language is "s--t","crap", and oh my God.
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Helped me decide (24) | Had useful details (25) | Read my mind (24)
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Teen, 15 years old
April 13, 2010
AGE
11
 
NEED MORE AVREG
I LOVE IT BUT I JUST DONT KNOW THW ANSWER I WISH THIS WAS A LITTLE BETTER CAUSE MY ANSWER WAS KIND OF WEAR LIKE ON MY SCHOOL WE ARE READING A BOOK SO I NEED TO ANSWER A QUESTION 4 TOMORROW TO ANSWER IT SO MAKE THE ANSWER EASYER
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Helped me decide (20) | Had useful details (21) | Read my mind (24)
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Educator
May 14, 2010
AGE
17
 
not for kids in my school
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Teen, 16 years old
April 9, 2008
AGE
 
so-so
this site used to be great, but now it's lame. BTW Jeeves looks nothing like Jeeves from Jeeves and Wooster.
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Helped me decide (19) | Had useful details (20) | Read my mind (22)
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Kid, 12 years old
June 8, 2010
AGE
9
 
i love it.
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (20) | Had useful details (18) | Read my mind (19)
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This review was written by Karen Wirsing
Genre:Educational
This review was written by Karen Wirsing

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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