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Nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, United States

Common Sense Media

Type	Nonprofit organization
Genre	Lobbying Research Consumer advice Parenting Education
Founded	2003; 18 years ago (2003)
Founder	James P. Steyer, CEO
Headquarters	San Francisco, California , United States
Revenue	US$25,452,329 (2018)
Website	commonsensemedia.org

Common Sense Media (CSM) is an organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.^[1] ^[2] ^[3] ^[4] It also funds research on the role of media in the lives of children^[5] and advocates publicly for child-friendly policies and laws regarding media.^[6] ^[7]

Founded by Jim Steyer in 2003, Common Sense Media reviews books, movies, TV shows, video games, apps, music (Until 2014^[8]), and websites and rates them in terms of age-appropriate educational content, such as "positive role models", "positive messages", "violence and scariness", "sexy stuff", "language", "consumerism" and more, for parents making media choices for their children. They have also developed a set of ratings that are intended to gauge the educational value of videos (movies and television programs), games, and apps. The nonprofit's "Learning Ratings" attempt to assess different types of learning qualities within various forms of media.

Donations from foundations and individuals and fees from media partners finance Common Sense Media. Today, the organization distributes its content to more than 100 million US homes via partnerships with a variety of traditional and online media companies. Common Sense Media describes itself as "the nation's largest membership organization dedicated to improving kids' media lives".^[1] By 2016, the organization had over 65 million unique users and worked with more than 275,000 educators across the United States.^[9] In 2016, Charlie Rose reported that Common Sense Media was the United States' largest non-profit dedicated to children's issues.^[10]

In August 2020, CSM announced the formation of a for-profit subsidiary, Common Sense Networks, to create and distribute original media targeted at children.^[11] Common Sense Networks then announced an OTT platform named Sensical, which launched June 29, 2021.^[12]

Early history [edit]

After founding JP Kids, an educational media company for children, and Children Now, a national child advocacy and media group, Jim Steyer founded Common Sense Media in 2003. In an interview with The New York Times , Steyer said he intended to "create a huge constituency for parents and children in the same way that Mothers Against Drunk Driving or the AARP has done." The group received $500,000 in seed money from a group of donors including Charles Schwab, George Roberts, and James Coulter.^[1]

To assess parents' concern about their children's media habits, Common Sense Media commissioned a poll, which found that "64 percent [of parents with children aged 2–17] believed that media products in general were inappropriate for their families. It said that 81 percent expressed concern that the media in general were encouraging violent or antisocial behavior in children." The polling firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, said that "only one out of five interviewed 'fully trusted' the separate industry-controlled ratings systems for music, movies, video games and television."^[1]

Entertainment reviews [edit]

Common Sense Media reviews thousands of movies, TV shows, music, video games, apps, web sites and books. Based on developmental criteria, the reviews provide guidance regarding each title's age appropriateness, as well as a "content grid" that rates particular aspects of the title including educational value, violence, sex, gender messages and role models, and more. For each title, they indicate the age for which a title is either appropriate or most relevant. An overall five-star quality rating is also included, as are discussion questions to help families talk about their entertainment. In addition to CSM's traditional rating system, they also offer a set of learning based ratings, which are designed to determine complex educational values.^[13] ^[14]

CSM partners with a number of media companies that distribute the organization's free content to more than 100 million homes in the United States. According to their website, the organization has content distribution contracts with Road Runner, TiVo, Yahoo!, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DIRECTV, Disney, NBC Universal, Netflix, Best Buy, Google, AOL/Huffington Post, Fandango, Trend Micro, Verizon Foundation, Nickelodeon, Bing, Cox Communications, Kaleidescape, AT&T, and NCM.^[15] The organization's current rating system differs from the system used by the Motion Picture Association of America and the Entertainment Software Rating Board. It has received positive support from some parents, and was singled out by US President Barack Obama as a model for using technology to empower parents.^[16] ^[17] Common Sense Media began allowing studios to use their ratings and endorsements in order to promote family-friendly movies in 2014. The first film to use the endorsement was Disney's Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.^[18]

Education [edit]

Common Sense Media has played a role in influencing billions of dollars in government spending on education-related technologies including classroom broadband access and various learning apps. In April 2015, they launched the national advocacy effort, Common Sense Kids Action, to push for certain state and federal efforts to bolster education for children.^[19] As of 2016, the Common Sense Education program had grown to include over 300,000 member teachers in approximately 100,000 schools.^[20]

In 2009, CSM partnered with Harvard University and the organization Global Kids to organize a three-way communication with parents, teenagers, and educators about issues faced in the online world.^[16]

The organization has 2 free education programs for schools and other organizations to use with students and parents. The goal of these resources is to help young people learn how to think critically, behave safely, and participate responsibly in today's ever-changing digital media world. More than 75,000 schools and over 158,000 educators around the world are using these resources.^[21]

The first product is a Parent Media and Technology Education Program that was launched in late 2008. The program includes a comprehensive library of resources, like tip sheets, workshop slides and script, videos, and discussion guides that educators can use to engage and educate parents about technology issues ranging from media violence and commercialism to cyberbullying and cellphone etiquette.

The second product, launched in 2009, is a K-12 Digital Literacy and Citizenship Curriculum consisting of more than 60 lesson plans, student handouts, videos and interactive components that span three topic areas: Safety and Security, Digital Citizenship, and Research and Information Literacy. The curriculum was informed by research done by Howard Gardner's GoodPlay Project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

The resources were developed with support from many foundations, including the Sherwood, MacArthur, and Hewlett Foundations, which enables CSM to offer these products to educators for free.

Digital passport [edit]

In 2012, CSM released its "Digital Passport," an online curriculum designed to teach children how to safely and responsibly navigate the Internet. The courses can be accessed for free by classroom teachers, who are then able to monitor their students' progress. Digital passport lessons are presented as games that reward progress with badges.^[22]

Graphite [edit]

In 2013 CSM launched Graphite, an online resource for teachers that allows them to review and rate educational technology. The project is supported by Chicago philanthropist Susan Crown and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates' bgC3.^[23]

Advocacy issues [edit]

Online privacy [edit]

CSM supported the U.S. Department of Commerce's creation of an "online privacy policy", which would include a "Privacy Bill of Rights" and would make clear which types of personal information companies are allowed to keep on clients.^[24] It has also called for updates to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) rules to ensure that they keep pace with changes in technology since the law was passed in 1998 – as documented by the organization in a report to the Federal Trade Commission as part of a review of the law.^[25]

The organization also helped Massachusetts Representative Edward Markey and Texas Representative Joe Barton draft legislation that required websites aimed at children under 13 to obtain parental permission before collecting personal information. According to The Wall Street Journal, the group also wanted websites to feature an "eraser button" that would allow children and teens to delete information that they've posted online about themselves. The group also favored a ban on "behavioral marketing" to children—ads targeted at children based on their online activities.^[26]

In 2004, CSM pushed for the passing of California's "Eraser Bill". As of June 2006, social media websites must allow California children under age 18 to remove their own postings.^[27] The same year, they advocated the passing of California Senate Bill 1177, which prohibits the sale and disclosure of schools' online student data. The bill also forbids targeted ads based on school information and the creation of student profiles when not used for education purposes.^[28]

Violent video games [edit]

Common Sense Media played a major role in the passage of the 2005 California law criminalizing the sale of violent video games to minors. The organization submitted an amicus brief to the Supreme Court regarding the case Brown v. Entertainment Merchants Association (formerly Schwarzenegger v. Entertainment Merchants Association).^[29] They published a survey, conducted by Zogby International, which asked 2100 parents whether or not they supported the "video game ban bill" – CA Law AB 1793; results showed that 72% of the respondents expressed support for the bill, and another 75% held negative views of the video game industry when it comes to how they protect children from violent video games.^[30]

On August 12, 2006, CSM protested to the Federal Trade Commission about the ESRB's rating downgrade of a revised version of Manhunt 2 from "Adults Only" to "Mature". It protested on the basis that the revised version of the game, which was censored to prevent the game from remaining banned in both countries, was still banned in the UK via the ratings given by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC). They also noted that players could still play a "leaked uncensored version" of Manhunt 2 on modded PlayStation 2, as Take-Two Interactive mentioned. The organization asked the FTC to launch a federal investigation into the ESRB rating process, citing the wide availability of the leaked version and the damage to children that the censored version still had.^[31]

Questioning whether Common Sense Media had begun functioning as a lobbying group rather than advocacy group the Los Angeles Times called the organization "one of the most zealous voices when it comes to encouraging state legislation limiting the sale of ultra-violent games to minors" and was "splitting hairs" regarding the difference between lobbying and advocacy in its efforts.^[2]

Media and child health [edit]

Common Sense Media participated in the FCC's Child Obesity Taskforce in April 2006 and hosted Beyond Primetime, a panel discussion and conference on issues related to children and media, featuring lead executives from the nation's top media.^[32]

In June 2006, CSM and The Department of Clinical Bioethics at the National Institutes of Health released a white paper, which outlines the ways that media exposure can impact children's health. The paper evaluated 173 media-related studies from the past 28 years and concluded that "In 80% of the studies, greater media exposure is associated with negative health outcomes for children and adolescents."^[33]

In October 2006, the organization released a white paper compiled from existing research on body image perceptions in children and teens. The paper states more than half of boys as young as 6 to 8 think their ideal weight is thinner than their current size and that children with parents who are dissatisfied with their bodies are more likely to feel that way about their own.^[34]

In September 2017, CSM released a study which it developed in collaboration with the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism focused on families in both Japan and America and technology use. Surveys of families in the United States were compared to surveys of Japanese families and found that both countries struggle with the impact of technology on family life and relationships. ^[35]

Common Sense Media released a PSA with Goodby, Silverstein & Partners in 2017 called Device Free Dinner which featured Will Ferrell as a distracted dad at the dinner table, in order to raise awareness for responsible technology and media usage.^[36]

Research [edit]

Common Sense Media's Program for the Study of Media and Children provides data relating to the developmental influence of technology on children.^[37] ^[38]

References [edit]

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d [1], NYT, May 5, 2003. Accessed Dec 15, 2011.
^ ^a ^b Pham, Alex (September 10, 2010). "Common Sense Media: Advocate or lobbyist?". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ Kimberly Palmer (16 April 2014). "How to Protect Kids From Powerful Advertising". USN. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
^ Emily Siner (7 November 2013). "Facebook Takes On Cyberbullies As More Teens Leave Site". NPR. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
^ Catalano, Frank (2018-09-10). "New Common Sense Media survey finds more positives than negatives in teen use of social media". GeekWire . Retrieved 2021-12-04 .
^ Pham, Alex (2010-09-10). "Common Sense Media: Advocate or lobbyist?". LA Times Blogs - Company Town . Retrieved 2021-12-04 .
^ Dang, Sheila (2020-06-28). "Exclusive: Facebook ad boycott campaign to go global, organizers say". Reuters . Retrieved 2021-12-04 .
^ "Music Reviews - Kids Music | Common Sense Media".
^ "Our Mission". Common Sense Media. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
^ "The Steyers". Charlie Rose. December 15, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
^ "Common Sense Media Hires Sony Alum Eric Berger as CEO of New For-Profit Entertainment Arm (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. August 24, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
^ Goldsmith, Jill (2021-06-29). "Common Sense Networks Unveils Sensical, New Free Streaming Platform For Kids 2-10". Deadline . Retrieved 2021-07-01 .
^ Kamenetz, Anya (10 April 2012). "Transforming The Market For Kids' Media By Rating Its Educational Value". Fast Company. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
^ "About Our Ratings". Common Sense Media. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
^ "Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on July 10, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ ^a ^b Rosen, Judith (February 13, 2010). "Common Sense Raises Issues at B&N". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ "About Ratings". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
^ Cieply, Michael (5 October 2014). "Movie Watchdog Group Gives Out Its First Seal of Approval". NYTimes.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
^ Singer, Natasha (26 April 2015). "Turning a Children's Rating System Into an Advocacy Army". nytimes.com. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 14 June 2015.
^ "Digital Compass, Common Sense Education's Digital Citizenship Student Interactive for 6th-8th Graders, Named 2016 Best Website for Teaching & Learning by AASL". Common Sense Media. June 28, 2016. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
^ "Digital Literacy Curriculum Available as Free iBooks Textbooks". EdNet Insight. 1 March 2014. Retrieved 15 August 2014.
^ Noguchi, Sharon (August 27, 2012). "Training Tomorrow's Netizens". Silicon Valley Mercury News . Retrieved September 17, 2012.
^ Toppo, Greg (26 August 2013). "Yelp for teachers: new site Graphite launches". usatoday.com. Gannett Company, Inc. Retrieved 25 April 2015.
^ Albanesius, Chloe (December 16, 2010). "Commerce Dept. Unveils Online Privacy Plan". PC Magazine . Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ Common Sense Comments on Children's Online Privacy Protection (PDF) (Report). Common Sense Media. 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010. ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
^ "Proposed Law Would Prohibit Web Collection of Data on Kids". The Wall Street Journal. December 23, 2006. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
^ Cohen, Ronnie (24 September 2013). "California law allows kids to erase digital indiscretions". reuters.com. Thomson-Reuters Corporation. Retrieved 24 April 2015.
^ Noguchi, Sharon (31 August 2014). "California Legislature passes stiffest U.S. bill to protect K-12 students' online data". San Jose Mercury News . Retrieved 24 April 2015.
^ Schwarzenegger, Arnold (July 19, 2010). "Brief of amicus curiae – Common Sense Media in Support Of Petitioners" (PDF) . Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ McElroy, Griffin (September 13, 2010). "Common Sense Media: 72 percent of parents support proposed Calif. violent game law". Joystiq . Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ Steyer, James P. (November 1, 2007). Letter from Common Sense Media to Donald S. Clerk, Secretary, Federal Trade Commission (PDF) (Report). Common Sense Media. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 27, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
^ "Common Sense Commends Food and Beverage Industry for Positive Step Toward Responsible Marketing" (Press release). Common Sense Media. July 11, 2007. Retrieved 2013-07-13 .
^ "The Impact of Media on Child and Adolescent Health: Executive Summary of a Systematic Review" (PDF). Common Sense Media. December 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2012. ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
^ Wallace, Kelly (13 February 2015). "Kids as young as 5 concerned about body image". CNN.com. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
^ "Teens and parents in Japan and US agree mobile devices are an ever-present distraction". theconversation.com. September 25, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
^ "Will Ferrell Is Your Distracted Dad In These Tech Responsibility PSAs". Fast Company. October 19, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
^ "Program for the Study of Media and Children". Common Sense Media. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
^ Heidi Stevens (July 3, 2012). "Unplugging from Facebook to enjoy the game of life". Chicago Tribune . Retrieved September 17, 2012.