Britannica

Review

Common Sense Media says

Most trusted resource will cost you $70 a year.
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

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Kids say

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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that they'll have to fork over $70 a year to access all of this site's content. It may be worth it as you won't have to worry about your kids coming across any inaccurate and inappropriately presented material. Yes, your kids will be able to read about penises, but the entries will be scientific and straightforward -- and they won't have any explicit images to go alongside them. There are ads, but they're minimal and all linked to things that will improve your mind, and a link to the Britannica store.

  • Positive messages0
    Not applicable.
  • Violence0
    Entries about violent topics (such as war) aren't glorified and are similar to what you'd find in a school textbook.
  • Sex0
    Entries about sexual topics are straightforward and educational. The illustrations that accompany them aren't explicit. For example, for vagina, it says "canal in female mammals that receives the male reproductive cells, or sperm, and is part of the birth canal during the birth process" and a drawn diagram calls out the different parts.
  • Language0
    Not applicable.
  • Consumerism3
    If you want access to entire articles and parts of the site, you have to pay $70 a year. There's a link to the Britannica store and ads to magazine and educational items.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking0
    Not applicable.
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What's it about?

It's time to clear your shelves of the set of dusty encyclopedias: BRITANNICA.COM is a faster way to find information on every subject. Want to learn about Uganda? Head on over to the atlas. Need a stat? The World Data Analyst breaks it all down. A separate subscription of $70 a year lets you explore one of the site's best features for kids: the online student edition filled with research guides and learning activities.

Is it any good?

 

Written mostly by Nobel Prize winners, the no-nonsense articles are comprehensive and well-organized. The timeline feature is very cool -- you just click on a subject and scroll through its history. The main drawback of this site is that only members ($70 a year) can read entire article entries and get access to the online resources (dictionary, thesaurus, and news articles).

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What families can talk about

Families can talk about why it's often better to go to a trusted site like Britannia than to Google to find the best age-appropriate, reliable information. What are safe sites to browse? How can you tell which sites you can trust? Parents can also explain why curiosity about the world can enrich our lives.

This review was written by Heidi Kotansky
Adult
June 7, 2010
AGE
12
 
NOT to be confused with...
What can I say, it's Encyclopedia Britannica. But for all that is good and holy, never EVER confuse this with "Encyclopedia Dramatica." ever. Words can never describe... the horrors on encyclopedia dramatica.
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Adult
April 9, 2008
AGE
 
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (5) | Had useful details (4) | Read my mind (5)
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This review was written by Heidi Kotansky
Genre:Educational
This review was written by Heidi Kotansky

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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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