Parents' Guide to

BuzzFeed

By Erin Brereton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Mature news site includes fluff, swears, adult content.

Website http://www.buzzfeed.com
BuzzFeed Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Rhonda D.
Rhonda D. Parent of 18-year-old
February 24, 2023
age 18+

Liar Liar Pants on Fire

Buzz Feed got caught with a fabricated story. They posted a story about 18 People Who tried To Get A Deal. In number 16, the so-called car seller posted a bottom deal of $18,818 or something like that but added PLUS GST. The area code showed a 614 area code which is in OHIO, not Canada where GST is charged. It sounds like they make these articles up in order to create sensationalism which in turn, angels people to hate.
Herewego80s
Herewego80s Adult
November 23, 2020
age 16+
Buzzfeed´s restriction says: Our Sites are not targeted to nor meant for anyone under 16 years of age. If you become aware of anyone using the Services who is under the age of 16, please report this to: [email protected] We do not knowingly collect information from anyone under the age of 16. I feel this is accurate, as there is too much swearing and drinking and little kids are on it.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 4 parent reviews

What’s It About?

News and entertainment website BUZZFEED -- founded by a Huffington Post creator -- says it shares its list-themed posts, quizzes, and other items with a global audience of more than 200 million. The site's content is a mix of short videos, pet pictures, celebrity features, and attention-grabbing headlines that promise to inform readers about everything from 19 versions of pizza from around the world to breaking news they might find on CNN or MSNBC.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4):
Kids say (22):

BuzzFeed posts cover the gamut from thought-provoking social injustice issues to funny yet not really educational GIF-based lists. Celebrity news items pop up fairly frequently, and popular posts are marked with labels such as "omg" and "cute." It’s easy to get sucked into reading more than you'd planned; content suggestions appear below and beside posts, and you can choose from more than two dozen topics. You'll need to search for keywords to find precise reading selections; finding posts on health, for example, is simple -- but locating ones on seasonal allergies isn't as easy because posts don't have highly specific tags.

Finding content really isn't a huge issue on BuzzFeed. But the type of content may be of concern to many parents, since the site doesn't seem to have a lot of restrictions. Some posts contain swearing, nudity, and violent images -- a bevy of things parents likely wouldn't want younger users (or some older teens) to see. Viewing the site together may help parents keep kids from clicking posts meant for an older audience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how much time you should spend on sites such as BuzzFeed that have a lot to read and look at. How can kids balance screen time and offscreen activities?

  • How can you tell if a site that has some kid-friendly posts, such as puppy videos, is OK for kids? Talk about what kinds of posts might be too adult for kids.

  • If you're logged into Facebook, you can easily post comments on BuzzFeed without registering for the site. But if your Facebook username is your full name, is that safe? View your child's page as a random Facebook user to ensure private information isn’t visible.

Website 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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