Britannica

Common Sense Media says

Most trusted resource will cost you $70 a year.

Age(i)

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Quality(i)

 
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What parents need to know

Positive messages
Not applicable
Violence

Entries about violent topics (such as war) aren't glorified and are similar to what you'd find in a school textbook.

Sex

Entries about sexual topics are straightforward and educational. The illustrations that accompany them aren't explicit. For example, for vagina, it says "canal in female mammals that receives the male reproductive cells, or sperm, and is part of the birth canal during the birth process" and a drawn diagram calls out the different parts.

Language
Not applicable
Consumerism

If you want access to entire articles and parts of the site, you have to pay $70 a year. There's a link to the Britannica store and ads to magazine and educational items.

Drinking, drugs, & smoking
Not applicable

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that they'll have to fork over $70 a year to access all of this site's content. It may be worth it as you won't have to worry about your kids coming across any inaccurate and inappropriately presented material. Yes, your kids will be able to read about penises, but the entries will be scientific and straightforward -- and they won't have any explicit images to go alongside them. There are ads, but they're minimal and all linked to things that will improve your mind, and a link to the Britannica store.

Parents say

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AGE
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Kids say

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What's it about?

It's time to clear your shelves of the set of dusty encyclopedias: BRITANNICA.COM is a faster way to find information on every subject. Want to learn about Uganda? Head on over to the atlas. Need a stat? The World Data Analyst breaks it all down. A separate subscription of $70 a year lets you explore one of the site's best features for kids: the online student edition filled with research guides and learning activities.

Is it any good?

QUALITY
 

Written mostly by Nobel Prize winners, the no-nonsense articles are comprehensive and well-organized. The timeline feature is very cool -- you just click on a subject and scroll through its history. The main drawback of this site is that only members ($70 a year) can read entire article entries and get access to the online resources (dictionary, thesaurus, and news articles).

Families can talk about...

  • Families can talk about why it's often better to go to a trusted site like Britannia than to Google to find the best age-appropriate, reliable information. What are safe sites to browse? How can you tell which sites you can trust? Parents can also explain why curiosity about the world can enrich our lives.

Website details

Genre:Educational
Pricing structure:Free

This review of Britannica was written by

Heidi Kotansky

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.
  • NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids of any age.

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Quality

Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Learning ratings

  • Best: Really engaging, great learning approach.
  • Very Good: Engaging, good learning approach.
  • Good: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
  • Fair: Somewhat engaging, okay learning approach.
  • Not for Learning: Not recommended for learning.
  • Not for Kids: Not age-appropriate for kids; not recommended for learning.

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When you use our links to make a purchase, Common Sense Media earns a small affiliate fee from Amazon or iTunes. As a nonprofit organization, these funds help us continue providing independent, ad-free services for educators, families, and kids while the price you pay remains the same. Thank you for your support.
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Adult Written bykarenbx832004 April 9, 2008
AGENot rated for age
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Adult Written byExia June 7, 2010
AGE
12
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NOT to be confused with...

What can I say, it's Encyclopedia Britannica. But for all that is good and holy, never EVER confuse this with "Encyclopedia Dramatica." ever. Words can never describe... the horrors on encyclopedia dramatica.
What other families should know
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