Blog Posts by Common Sense Media

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer
With its abundant outdoor play area and passionate teachers, my kids' school seemed like an oasis from the modern world of electronic entertainment. But when I picked my kids up from their after-school program, I was sometimes surprised to find them watching movies instead of drawing, reading, or playing outside. At first I chalked it up to the fact that the rain had made the play area pretty muddy. But when it happened again on a sunny day, I got angry.

Not only do they get enough time with movies and TV on the weekends, but I didn't like the idea that I was paying someone to watch them watch movies. Besides, I didn't have any control over which movies my kids were seeing. What if something scared my son? What if my daughter had questions about what she just saw? What kinds of guidance were they getting after the movies ended? Was I going to have to leave all of this to chance?

Despite feeling a bit nervous about taking my

By Caroline Knorr, Common Sense Media Reviewer
thinkstock One of the biggest surprises about raising kids in today's media-and-tech-filled world is that it's not the shadowy, dangerous place we've been warned about. Yes, there's iffy stuff out there, but much of what kids can discover is enriching, inspiring, practical, helpful, and fun.

That doesn't mean that you can let your kids loose with no limits or guidance. A big part of parenting today involves knowing what your kids are doing online, teaching them to be responsible and respectful, and helping them make good choices. In other words, teaching them to participate constructively and age appropriately.

Spurred by new research and new thinking -- and a strong impulse for spring cleaning -- we're challenging the conventional wisdom about managing kids' entertainment.

Brush the cobwebs off the old thinking, and usher in some fresh new ideas about how to manage everything from the Internet to iTunes.

Television:

Old think: TV

Being on the road -- whether for a family holiday or a long commute -- requires a certain kind of soundtrack. Songs about freedom and yearning, especially if they're easy to sing along to, make perfect highway partners. Check out these tunes for some road-friendly picks.

By Caroline Knorr, Common Sense Media Reviewer
If the long winter months have sent your kid into the arms of Facebook, Angry Birds, or Sesame Street reruns, it's time for a little spring cleaning. Thankfully, cleaning up your media act is a lot more fun than figuring out how all those insect wings landed in that weird space in the attic.

The first step is taking stock of the stuff your kid is watching, playing, and downloading. We'll help you figure out what to keep (the good stuff), what to toss (the not-so-good stuff), and what you, as a parent, can "give away" (support strategies for every age).

Stay tuned for the next installment, where we'll tackle the issues that come up and provide handy resources for problem solving.

Ages 2-4

Movies, television, Internet: If your toddler's day includes Yo Gabba Gabba for breakfast, an app for lunch, and a Cars chaser after dinner, you may be over relying on flashy screens to keep your little one entertained. It's an easy pattern

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer
When kids are little, the lessons they get from their favorite TV shows are pretty simple. Angelina Ballerina helps a girl in dance class and demonstrates how to be a good friend. Thomas the Tank Engine asks for help delivering his freight, and he shows how cooperation can help solve problems.

But when kids get older, the messages that TV delivers aren't always so straightforward.

Television targeted toward kids ages 9-11 often takes an edgy approach to appeal to an age group that's starting to test boundaries, assert independence, and maybe even provoke. These shows are also competing for eyeballs in a crowded field of TV shows, websites, cell phones, and more. But you can use these shows -- from iCarly and Big Time Rush to Ben 10 and Regular Show -- to help make television useful, positive, and something that reinforces your values.

When you can, watch along with your kids. Take advantage of the opportunity to share your

By Sierra Filucci, Common Sense Media Reviewer

For those of us who grew up with dial-up modems, it can be hard to understand what the digital age is like for today's kids. Access to information is literally at their fingertips. But easy access reduces the time it takes to think through your actions -- and makes it easier to do not-so-great things. Like copying other people's work and calling it your own. Or downloading copyrighted music or movies illegally. And the list goes on. Part of the problem is that kids may not even realize that what they're doing is illegal. Here are the top three online offenses -- and how to make sure your kid's online activities stay on the safe side.

Plagiarism and high-tech cheating

What it is: Copying someone else's work and calling it your own. In Common Sense Media's 2009 study of high-tech cheating among kids 13-17, 38 percent said they'd copied text from the web to pass off as their work. And more than 35 percent said they'd used

By Regan McMahon, Common Sense Media Reviewer
Technology has been a great boon to parenting -- we can now keep in touch with our kids via cell phone when they're out of reach, send a handy text when we we're running late to pick them up, even see photos of them posted on a summer camp website that reassure us they're having a good time.

But is all the access we have -- thanks to our gadgets and the Web -- helping our kids grow into independent, responsible people? Or are we crossing the line from caring to intruding? Is it about safety ... or snooping? My teen daughter unfriended me when she felt I'd been checking her Facebook page too often, and she changed her handle on Twitter when she didn't want me reading her tweets!

Here are a few guidelines for a common sense approach to tech-assisted parenting that balances safety concerns with kids' privacy and helps foster autonomy and trust while staying connected.

Be a good "friend" on Facebook
Some parents insist on being

By Shira Lee Katz, Common Sense Media Reviewer

Kids viewed, shared, liked, disliked, and commented. They even criticized. By the time parents found out about Kony 2012 -- from their kids, no less -- the video had already gone viral. Way viral. Parents could only play catch-up when it came to educating themselves about generations of Ugandan children who had been forced to take up arms and the accompanying campaign to put warlord Joseph Kony under arrest. As of March 16, the video has received almost 80 million views on YouTube. Most supporters are young people. Coordinated nationwide events to bolster campaign efforts are planned for April. Now, reflect. When was the last time you heard about a major news story from your kids? What's more, when was the last time they showed genuine passion for a weighty social cause?

The "Kony effect" is clearly cause for celebration on one hand. What parent doesn't want kids who are informed and take action to eliminate social injustices? The rub