Parents' Guide to

Kanopy

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Watch free movies, shows, animated books with library card.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android , Kindle Fire Free Entertainment
Kanopy Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

  • Kanopy App: Screenshot #1
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  • Kanopy App: Screenshot #3
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Community Reviews

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age 18+

Based on 2 parent reviews

trishadey
trishadey Adult
October 10, 2018
age 18+

Huge upgrade from the old design

This app has a great collection of some of my favorite documentaries from Bill Nye to Banking on Bitcoin! And now the app has an even better user experience with its brand new beautiful and elegant design! Whoever Kanopy's designer is deserves a promotion!

This title has:

Easy to play/use
Username666
Username666 Adult
August 26, 2018
age 18+

What good is a free system if I continue to get error messages, not allowing me to watch many of the movies!

You get what you pay for!
See all 2 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

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

What’s It About?

To use KANOPY, sign up via Facebook, Google, or email. Search for your college, university, or public library. If your library doesn't exist on Kanopy, send a message requesting it be added. If your library is connected to Kanopy, the app requests your library card and PIN. Enter both, then tap Start Watching. You can view movie options by category or tap Kids in the upper left corner to view kid-friendly choices. After you tap the show or movie you want to watch, you can read a synopsis, time length, and details. Add it to your watch list, share, or tap the Play icon to begin watching. View the number of monthly "play credits" you have left as well as the keyword search icon in the upper right corner of the screen. Also view kid-specific content categorized under Movies, TV, Educational, Story Time, and Beloved Characters.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: (2 ):
Kids say: Not yet rated

Having fun isn't hard, if you've got a library card -- especially if your library is registered with this app. Just as the PBS Kids' character Arthur sang, library cards help kids and adults access fun, educational content for free, and Kanopy adds even more choices (including the Arthur series) to the mix. Most of the content choices on Kanopy are similar to what patrons of a well-stocked library would expect: well-selected, award-winning films; independent and foreign films; popular kids' and adults' TV series; educational shows. The animated books are top-quality, with classics from producers such as Scholastic and Weston Woods. When users browse selections in Kanopy Kids, they see only kid-friendly titles. The library card holder's watch list and viewing history are also filtered, so adults-only content isn't displayed. It would be even better if there was a way to set it (via parent controls or a parent gate) to only allow access to Kanopy Kids. As it stands, kids can access adult content if they leave Kanopy Kids. Parents should keep a watchful eye on what kids are viewing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how Kanopy is just one of many ways to utilize the free stuff at your local library. Many public libraries now have free games, maker kits, museum passes, read-to-you books, and more for free. Check out our Books about Libraries list.

  • There are some terrific animated storybooks on Kanopy. Talk about the difference between watching an animated storybook and reading a storybook. Which does your kid prefer? Why?

  • Talk to your kid about how many videos are theirs to watch out of the 10 per month allowed on Kanopy (parents may want some screen time on this app full of excellent selections, too!), and read Common Sense Media's parent tips on screen-time limits.

App Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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