Common Sense Media Review
By Christy Matte
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Crowd-sourced research engages kids in science exploration.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Download
Videos and Photos
Zooniverse
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
ZOONIVERSE is a research tool that invites volunteers to get involved in the process. You might help identify burial mounds in satellite images or track the bird population at a particular body of water. You may be looking into space. Volunteers don't need any special skills and each research project has clear directions to follow. The projects change as one is completed and another begins. When registering for the site, volunteers may optionally include their name to for acknowledgements in any published studies.
Is It Any Good?
If you're looking for ways to engage kids in the wonders of research and discovery, look no further. Zooniverse is a great way to introduce kids to academic research, scientific inquiry, and even social studies. With a range of projects available, there's a good chance you'll find something of interest. And Zooniverse encourages everyone to get involved with the understanding that there's no need to be perfect if you're doing your best. That's an important message for kids to hear. Because it is actual research, kids should know that it's not always full of action. For example, searching for birds in a series of pictures for 10 minutes yielded no fowl at all. But for kids who are excited to learn new things and enjoy the feeling of contributing to a larger project, Zooniverse is a wonderful place to start.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about research in the Zooniverse app and outside of it. What does it mean? Why do people do it?
Talk about crowd-sourcing. Why would researchers want large numbers of people to help with their projects? What sorts of activities around your house would be easier with a lot of people?
Families can talk about learning with apps. Do you think this is a good app for learning? Why or why not? What can you learn?
App Details
- Devices : iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad , Android
- Subjects : Language & Reading : following directions , Science : animals , astronomy , ecosystems and the environment , Social Studies : exploration , geography , history
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence , applying information , asking questions , collecting data , Self-Direction : academic development , initiative , motivation , working efficiently , Collaboration : group projects , meeting challenges together , teamwork
- Pricing structure : Free
- Release date : July 2, 2019
- Genre : Education
- Topics : STEM
- Publisher : Chris Lintott
- Version : 2.6.1
- Minimum software requirements : iOS 9.0 or later; Android 4.1 and up
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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
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