VBS.tv

 Review

Common Sense Media says

Video site from Vice is too graphic for teens.
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

Kids say

Not yet rated

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that although some of the site's videos are OK for teens, there are others that are extremely explicit. "The Vice Guide to Sex" has episodes about bestiality and fetish porn and there's a disturbing documentary about teenage circumcision rituals in Uganda.

  • The site takes an "anything goes" approach, presenting disturbing topics in a very matter-of-fact way.
  • Some videos are extremely gory -- there are images of war, death, animals being harmed, and a graphic circumcision procedure.
  • There are some shows about pornography that show nudity and discuss sex explicitly.
  • All kinds of profanity in videos and comments -- nothing's off limits.
  • Ads on pages and before videos, although you can skip them.
  • There are some videos of people drinking and smoking pot and a few documentary episodes about the drug trade.

What's it about?

Vice began as an underground magazine and has evolved into a far-reaching media company. Its latest offering, the online broadcast network VBS.TV, embodies all the buzzwords of the Vice brand: hip, controversial, offensive, and shocking. With Spike Jonze as its creative director, the site features 40 shows of original content about art and music, news, travel, and extreme sports, as well as quirky offerings like "The Cute Show" (think kitties, bunnies, and cupcakes). There's also a lot of adult content.


Is it any good?

 

Parents will probably not want their teens anywhere near VBS.tv because of content like "The Vice Guide to Sex," which ventures into very disturbing terrority -- like bestiality. It's a shame, because some the investigative pieces are fantastic -- like the environmental exposs "Toxic" and "The Vice Guide to North Korea," a 14-episode documentary that goes inside the notoriously press-shy nation. Too bad there's no VBS Jr.


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What families can talk about

Families can talk about which shows on the site look interesting. Why do you think the site mixes lighthearted shows about cute animals with ones about dark topics like war, prostitution, and drugs? What audience do you think this site is trying to reach? How is violence in news stories or documentaries different from violence in TV shows or movies?


This review was written by Susan Yudt
Teen, 14 years old
May 16, 2009
 
It s horrible

Flag as inappropriate 
Parent of 5, 6, 8, 10, 10, and 18 year old
December 22, 2011
 
BANNED

Flag as inappropriate 
Educator and Parent of 6 and 11 year old
March 14, 2010
 
Fun for adults 15 and over
I like this website myself because of the informative and interesting topics, but young children shouldnt be roaming this site alone. Sexual topics are frequent and blatantly obvious.

Flag as inappropriate 

This review was written by Susan Yudt

This review was written by Susan Yudt

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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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