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JSYK (http://www.jsyk.com/)

common sense media says

AOL teen site mixes celeb fluff with more substantial news.

parents & educators say
See 2 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that you must be 13 or older to register -- or at least enter an age that's 13 or older. Enter an age under 13 and you're told you can't register -- and refreshing the screen and trying again won't work. When creating an account, teens enter their e-mail address (once) and a screen name. However, oddly enough, you can opt during registration to show your age to other users.

Educational value: Although some of the teen celeb news borders on shallow, the site's Get Real section features teen-focused news on topics like summer jobs and prom.
Positive messages: The Good Causes section highlights teen celebs' philanthropic efforts.
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Links to questions from AOL's aolanswers.com site (which appear within the JSYK browser window) are at the end of the JSYK news stories under an "Ask Us Anything" heading; some touch on topics like losing your virginity and birth control.
Language: Words like "suck" can be found on the site, but posts tend to generally be swear-free. (Comments take up to 24 hours to appear and are presumably run through a language filter.)
Consumerism: Ads for products like Skittles pop up on the homepage and appear throughout the site.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Some news stories mention drug usage (but discourage it).
Privacy & safety: Usernames are used to post comments, which don't appear immediately.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on JSYK

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

  • Families can talk about how this site is sponsored by AOL, which also offers one of the most popular instant messaging services. Why and when might you need to block someone on IM? What does it mean to be harassed? And why would it be dangerous to get an IM from someone you don't know?

  • What's OK to share with someone on IM, through e-mail, or in chat? What's better to keep offline?

  • When registering, you're told that if you check a box, you can share your age with other users. Why might it be a bad idea to let people you don't know on a website know your age -- even if you're just posting a random comment about a news story?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

JSYK--formerly AOL's BeRed site -- stands for "Just So You Know." Spend some time on the site, and you'll know a considerable amount about teen celebs like Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift (both have entire sections dedicated to them). However, you'll also learn about some other teen-centric news from around the U.S., covering topics like Facebook usage and teen depression. The articles are worth a look: Their tone is just conversational enough to hit home with teens, who can vote on what they think about the story or post a comment after reading it.

The site was clearly intended for older teens; some of the subject matter (STDs, teen pregnancy) is way too adult for younger users. Similarly, some of the other AOL teen sites JSYK links to, including Teen Ink --containing original stories about topics like kidnapping and murder -- really aren't meant for kids.

This review was written by Erin Brereton
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

movieluver!<3
teen, 15 years old
 
For Pop Culture fans.
This website keeps you up to date on what celebrites are doing these days. sometimes it can be a bit bad but it is real life so there is nothing the website can do. this is a good website that can be any teens home page and it does have chat rooms for the older ones. also lots of photos of your favorite stars. 13+
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was this review useful?
helped me decide (10) | had useful details (12) | read my mind (9)
decemberbaby1997
teen, 14 years old
13
 
the stes ok
i think that he site is good but it may need a few ajustments.
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was this review useful?
helped me decide (7) | had useful details (5) | read my mind (8)

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ON: Content is 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
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