• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 13.

• Is it any good?

  4.0

• Common Sense says

  The history of music videos in all its tacky, fleshy glory.

Why We Rated This for Ages 13 and Up

The good stuff

• Educational value:

  Not an issue.

What to watch out for

• Messages:

  Lyrics and images are censored on the site, but that doesn't keep users from posting harsh comments and suggestive profile pictures. In videos like 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny "and Eminem's "Stan," much of the violent or sexual content is blocked, but there are plenty of suggestive videos.
• Violence:

  Guns, bodies, and blood are shown. Lyrics are edited and words like "bullet" and "killed" may be edited, but there are graphic images.
• Sex:

  A lot of skin and booty shaking. You can watch Shakira grind on "Hips Don't Lie" and Madonna writhe in "Justify My Love," but these are all things that have been shown on MTV. Although there's never full-frontal nudity, the music videos usually do a clever job of including as much flesh as possible.
• Language:

  Music videos feature the "clean" version of most songs. However, words like "b-tch" and "-ss" make it past editing.
• Consumerism:

  There is very little advertising on the site. However, MTV collects information from the membership process, including email addresses, and the user terms explain that members may be contacted by advertisers for promotions and contests. The site has plans to send messages over registered digital devices, so members can receive text message promotions.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Some songs include references to drugs, such as the Wu-Tang Clan's "C.R.E.A.M.," which includes the line "no question I would speed for crack and weed, the combination made my eyes bleed." Alcohol is shown in many videos although the labels are blurred on bottles.

What Parents Need to Know

About MTVMusic

Families Can Talk About