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Yahoo! Answers

  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 11, age appropriate for kids over 14; suggested age 13.

  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Unfiltered, unfettered answers require a huge grain of salt.

On this site kids can:   post comments, share their knowledge

Why We Rated This iffy for Ages 13–14

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    More entertaining than educational. There's no way of ascertaining anyone's qualifications to provide answers. This is not a site you should look to if you really want to learn something.
  • Messages:

    Aside from a occasional cranky rants, most of the users are trying to be helpful. The overall message is that being inquisitive is a good thing, but the variety of unsubstantiated "answers" means you can't believe everything you read.

What to watch out for

  • Online interaction:

    Sometimes the answers are misguided, angry diatribes posted by people who just want to stir up trouble. Certain categories have more of this type of commentary than others.
  • User-created content:

    The answers are not always good answers. More often they’re educated guesses or broken bits of advice. Overall, the users are not mean-spirited; the advice generally comes from good-natured, helpful people who simply want to share their experience and advice. The site's loaded with disclaimers.

  • Violence:

    Questions and answers about violence run the gamut from the effects of videogame violence to musings on why people physically abuse others.
  • Sex:

    Plenty of questions about sex, but nothing pornographic.
  • Language:

    Asterisks are used in place of swear words.
  • Consumerism:

    The site seems to be more advertising than advice. Both questions and answers are keyed to advertising topics, so if you ask a question about eyeglasses, the stie serves ads for LensCrafters and other optical shops.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Every so often, there are questions about illegal drugs and illegal practices like how to obtain pharmaceuticals without a prescription.

How safe is it?

  • Personal privacy:

    To ask or answer questions you have to register by choosing a nickname, creating a unique profile, and uploading an optional photo. You can keep your identity anonymous, but the site encourages users to become experts in their areas of knowledge.
  • Parental controls:

    Not an issue.

What Parents Need to Know

This review of Yahoo! Answers was written by Conny Coon

Parents need to know that this free informational site offers up answers to virtually any question imaginable but is an iffy place for young kids to explore without supervision. The self-proclaimed “world’s biggest think tank” lets visitors ask questions and registered users volunteer their advice and answers. Though the questions and answers are divided into easy-to-peruse categories, there is an array of topics that are accessible to anyone choosing to browse.

Families Can Talk About

Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
  • How the Internet has made it possible to seek out answers to virtually any question -- and receive answers almost instantly. Does this feed our desire for instant gratification? How did people find out answers before there was a computer in nearly every home?
  • Why do some people spend a good deal of time loading inappropriate answers and information into Web sites? Is this a form of bullying?
  • Why you shouldn’t always believe, trust or follow information or advice that is found on Web sites. When it comes to important issues in life, who are better people to turn to? What can these trusted people do to help make sure the Internet is a safer place for kids?
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More on Yahoo! Answers

Is It Any Good?

Yahoo! Answers certainly doesn’t have all the answers, but it’s a decent place to start if you’re an adult looking for practical information such as how to wash jeans without shrinking them … or tricks to making meringue. Ask virtually anything, and there’s an answer for it.  But those few who choose to ask or answer dubious questions about sex, drugs, or violent behaviors turn this site into a not-so-safe place for kids. Just like the worldwide Web itself, there’s some useful information to discover, but there’s also a lot of questionable fare to wade through.

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Our Members Say

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Most Recent Reviews

  1. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    I rate this title on for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive consumerism

    Find answers to almost anything! Good for ages 13+

    I found this website very helpful. You can find answers to just about anything. However, there is a lot of ads. I think Yahoo Answers is good for people 13+.

  2. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages

    Simple social network can bring out the good sides of people

    Yes, every now and then there is some inappropriate content but not much more. Some stars hang around Y!A such as Lady Gaga (she quit) and Kelly Clarkson (one of my good friends on Y!A) but people will put nice comments and help people!

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title on for age 12 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Negative message
    • User content isn't age appropriate
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Safety isn't an issue

    Very Fun!

    Great Website!!!! 12+ though

  4. I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 4.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • User content isn't age appropriate

    I Had Fun, But Be Careful What You Pull Up.....

    Yahoo! Answers is a fun place. I had tons of it. However, it is risky for spam and stuff and you have to be 13 or up (I used my mom's account!) Of course, you can ask questions on ANYTHING, and hope that it won't get removed. Consumerism is the ads, which there is at least one on EVERY page. With the simplicity of asking any question, you're bound to read something inappropriate at least every 30 minutes. Some users aren't the best role models, some are just plain rude.

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 8
    I rate this title on for age 17 and give it 5.0
    • My concerns are:
    • Excessive violence
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism
    • Drinking, smoking, or drug use
    • Negative message
    • Safety is an issue
    • User content isn't age appropriate

    13 year olds

    HATE IT

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