• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 8, age appropriate for kids over 12; suggested age 13.

• Is it any good?

  3.0

• Common Sense says

  Gossip site mixes celeb news with meatier offerings.

Why We Rated This for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

• Educational value:

  Though 90 percent entertainment and fashion, the site has some tech, health, and sports topics mixed in, some pretty good teen poetry and fiction, and links to uplifting alternative news sites Pawnation and Goodnewsnow. Unfortunately, the site also links to yet more celebrity fluff for kids such as JustJaredJunior.
• User-created content:

  Kids are encouraged to critique stories featured from Teen Ink but have no way to share their own work.
• Messages:

  The site focuses mostly on young celebrities, their consumerism and relationships. On the plus side, bad celeb behavior is not covered, and sometimes celebs set good examples. For instance, Miley Cyrus reassures girls that her legs are not as perfect as they appear on a Photoshopped magazine cover. 

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  Not an issue.
• Sex:

  A minimum of suggestiveness makes this eyebrow-raising headline a rare exception: "Is Kate Hudson's Hotness Keeping A-Rod's Bat on Fire?"
• Language:

  Minor cursing such as a--hole, with most words safely asterisked out. Comments have a report option for offensive content.
• Consumerism:

  Relentless coverage of celebrity fashion, makeup, games and gadgets will make kids who visit this site want stuff. On the bright side there are few outright plays for kids' dollars. There are few ads, no store, and no social networking tools that encourage  buying schwag, virtual or otherwise.  
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Celebrities' activities are fairly chaste, with few mentions of partying or photos depicting bad habits.

How safe is it?

• Personal privacy:

  Kids don't have to share any personal info to use the site, only an email address if they want to leave comments. Kids can’t delete their own comments. However, they do have to re-enter their email and password every time they want to post. This extra step seems designed to make kids think before commenting. 
• Online interaction:

  Comments are mostly positive and respectful of others. Kids are especially supportive of the Teen Ink authors whose work is featured on the site. Polls give kids another way to express themselves. For instance, a poll following a story on the new Kindle asks kids if they’d like to have an e-reader or would prefer to stick with old-fashioned printed textbooks. (Two-thirds wanted a Kindle.)
• Parental controls:

  Parents must give their email permission before kids can register and leave comments. If parents want to cancel a child's account, the confirmation email conveniently includes a toll-free number to call.  Parents also are given the option to download AOL's Parental Controls software, which monitors kids' online activities.

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