at15

Review

Common Sense Media says

Retailer's charity site means well, but offerings are thin.
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

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this site from retail giant Best Buy is a place where teens earn points that they can later give to Best Buy's featured charities. In other words, teens get power over Best Buy's charitable donations. There are also contests and information on scholarships. Overall, this site is clean with no inappropriate content but there aren't very many games and activities and teens may lose interest in a site meant to keep them coming back for points. Best Buy states that the site is only for teens ages 13-18.

  • Positive messages4
    The site's mission is to give kids the power to make positive changes and to give them a forum where they can discuss various topics from politics to music.  
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism1
    The site is part of retailer Best Buy's Web site. There are links to Best Buy and other external sites, but there is no product advertising.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
  • Privacy & safety2
    The site explicitly states that it is not for anyone under the age of 13. Site registration requires only an email address, name, and birthdate. Registered users get profile pages where they can post a picture and personal information.The lack ofinformation on forum moderators means that parents should monitor teenswho use the forums and they should make sure that kids know not to givepersonal information to other forum posters. No parental controls and the registration process bypasses parents altogether.
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Is it any good?

 

One of the site's biggest draws for teens is pop diva Taylor Swift -- at15 is the Official Charity Partner of the pop diva's current tour. The site's intent is admirable and there are no ads for Best Buy’s products, but there may not be enough content to keep teens interested. And, while there is no inappropriate content in the main site sections, it's unclear as to whether there are forum moderators. If not, teens should at least be able to flag inappropriate posts. Currently, this site will appeal most to fans of Taylor Swift, and one can assume that once Taylor's world tour is over, another artist will take her place as at15's official charity partner.

Online interaction: There are forums where teens can express their viewpoints on a range oftopics, however there is no information about whether there are forummoderators, and there is no way for teens to flag inappropriate posts.

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What families can talk about

  • Discuss whether they think this site is an effective way to get teens involved in charitable work and community improvement efforts.

  • What types of content and activities would you add to this site to entice teens to keep coming back?

  • What do you think about the partnership between BestBuy (which runs the site) and the site's Official Charity Partners, like pop artists like Taylor Swift?

This review was written by Ellen Dendy

There aren't any reviews yet. Be the first to review this title below.
This review was written by Ellen Dendy
Genre:Civic Engagement
This review was written by Ellen Dendy

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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.
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