Parents' Guide to Howcast

Howcast Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

By Carla Thornton , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 11+

Free site's top-notch how-to videos include sex tutorials.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 11+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 10+

Based on 1 parent review

age 9+

Based on 11 kid reviews

Kids say this website offers a mix of educational and entertaining content, appealing especially to younger audiences with quirky hobbies. However, many reviews express concern about the appropriateness of some material, indicating that while it can be amusing, certain guides may not be suitable for all ages.

  • educational content
  • amusing yet inappropriate
  • suitable for kids
  • mixed reviews
  • quirky interests
Summarized with AI

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say ( 11 ):

How do you remember a word you've blanked on, help a friend improve her self-esteem, or kiss like Angelie Jolie? Howcast -- YouTube only funnier and smarter -- answers these timeless questions and more. The site boasts 100,000-plus how-to videos and text guides organized by topic including games, health & nutrition, kids, and teens. Each rewindable video is broken out into easy-to-follow steps. The acting is droll and the lessons, serious or not, can be very good. Claymation, stop-action, and the odd farm animal glued to a popsicle stick (see "How to Tip a Cow") are just a few of the techniques effectively used to get ideas across. Prepare to laugh out loud.

This site will keep any halfway curious eight-year-old engrossed and giggling for hours. Therein lies the rub for parents, who will need to decide whether they're OK with kids stumbling across Howcast's brand of sex education. The videos are tasteful and feature little bare flesh but do contain frank language. And as for Angie? To kiss like her you'll need "full, pillowy lips" and "an inappropriate partner," preferably someone
else's husband.

Online interaction: Leaving comments after videos is the only means of interacting on the site. Most of the comments sections were empty when we visited -- except for the sex videos, which drew some predictably suggestive remarks.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Discuss what satire is. While they usually have a grain of truth, some of the silly how-to videos on this site do not necessarily model ideal behavior.

  • What kind of how-to video or wiki could families try creating for this
    site? Choose something you're knowledgeable about, such
    as teaching the family pet a trick, and write down the steps. Parents
    can help younger kids shoot videos using the site's special enhancement tools.

Website Details

  • Genre : Educational
  • Pricing structure : Free
  • Last updated : October 9, 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

Howcast Poster Image

You May Also Like...

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate