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MTVSwitch (http://www.mtvswitch.com)

common sense media says

Stylish eco site could use more substance.

parents & educators say
See 2 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this international MTV site aims to make teens go green. Teens can provide an email address to sign up for news, send links to a friend, or post comments on the blog, which are moderated before they're posted. Otherwise, there's no social element or content sharing, and the site is free of profanity and sexual content. One blog post links to a FunnyorDie.com skit with cursing, but warns readers first. The blog also links to many sites that sell products. The site has some helpful environmental tips, but there's also a fair amount of celebrity fluff.

Educational value: Includes some helpful tips for reducing your impact on the environment.
Positive messages: Encourages teens to protect the environment. (But one music video is iffy -- it shows teens breaking into apartments to unplug appliances and remove energy-wasting products.)
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Not applicable.
Language: One blog post links to a FunnyorDie.com skit with cursing, but warns readers first.
Consumerism: Some of the videos have sponsors. The blog reports on and links to many products. There's a lot of content about celebrities, or featuring celebrities.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

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What to talk about

Talk to your kids
Families can talk about environmental issues and the role of activism. Which changes in our lives are worth making? Can one person's behavior have an impact? How do we motivate others to change? What information from the site motivated you to do something different?

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 
While the site has a good message about saving energy and includes some useful environmental tips, style often trumps substance. There's a beautifully animated panorama of mountains and trees that shifts as you navigate to different parts of the site -- which takes a really long time to load. And, on the whole, there's not a lot to learn in the videos. Some are totally pointless, like one that just shows concertgoers sloshing around in the mud at the Glastonbury Festival. And parents might not agree with Fall Out Boy's sentiment that "Being addicted to gasoline is worse than being addicted to cocaine."
This review was written by Susan Yudt
 
 

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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
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