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Parents' Guide to

A Starting Point

By Debbie Gorrell, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 16+

Conversation starter has balanced views, some mature topics.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android Free Education
A Starting Point Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • A Starting Point App: Screenshot #1
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age 2+

Based on 1 parent review

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What’s It About?

A STARTING POINT is a resource library that consists of videos from elected officials across the United States. The videos are organized into three main sections: Starting Points, Daily Points, and Counterpoints. Starting Points includes two minute answers to common questions. Categories include Economy, Education, Environment, Government, Health, Immigration, International, and Rights. There are questions within each category that are answered by members of the Democratic and Republican parties. Daily Points is a forum for elected officials to make a point about any topic in under a minute. There appears to be a balance between the political parties represented, but this section's organization is unclear. Counterpoints includes discussions between two members of different parties. Each person contributes to the discussion in less than a minute, and the topics and pairings are chosen by the contributors.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (1 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

This resource offers an exciting way to start conversations with older teens while offering balanced views of important topics, but don't expect a lot of depth. It's mainly an opinion-based platform that doesn't dive deep into fact-based learning. However, it serves its intended purpose of engaging users through balanced discussions relevant to individual rights and duties of citizenship.

Teens who are interested in particular topics will likely find the Starting Points section most helpful. Here, the information is clearly organized, and it's easy to find politically balanced talking points. The Counterpoints section is also well organized, but users can't pause or rewind the videos. The Daily Points section has a wide selection of videos that don't seem to be organized in any particular way. Topic buttons across the top of the home screen confuse matters even more. Overall, though, it's pretty easy to navigate. Most importantly, it encourages teens to think about all sides of issues, which is important for the critical thinking needed for digital citizenship.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the topics covered by A Starting Point, addressing any that may be of concern. Which topics most interest teens and why? What additional topics would teens like to see covered?

  • Discuss the importance of learning about, and listening to, different viewpoints to get balanced information.

  • Talk about the difference between opinions and facts, and whether the app provides opinions, facts, or both.

App Details

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