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Dec. 17 is principally known for three things:

1. Pope Clemens VII establishes the Inquisition in 1526
2. The first sustained motorized airplane flies at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903
3. The EIDR Content ID registry is launched in 2010^[1]

The Entertainment ID Registry (EIDR) was conceived in 2009; gestated for a bit as the best and the brightest within the media & entertainment industry developed its structures, rules, and processes; and then went live on December 17, 2010. At eleven years old, EIDR is officially a tween.^[2] As concerned parents, this makes us wonder which of the 2.5 million audiovisual programs identified in the EIDR Content ID registry would be appropriate for EIDR to watch without adult supervision. For advice on this matter, we turn to Common Sense Media.

Common Sense Media was established in 2003 to provide trustworthy, independent, age-based ratings and reviews for everything families want to watch, read, play, and learn. The Common Sense Media editorial team takes the guesswork out of media selection for families with kids ages 2 to 18 by reviewing entertainment – including movies, TV shows, books, games, apps, and Web sites. The editors evaluate titles through a family lens, going well beyond the traditional “big three” of sex, violence, and language to also include educational value, positive role models, and diverse representation.^[3] All of their work is research-backed, so families can feel confident in their choices. And with over 40,000 reviews, there’s something for every kid to enjoy.

In addition to age appropriateness, Common Sense Media also evaluates the overall quality of each program, asking the important question, “Is it any good?” scored on a scale of one to five stars. These two factors can be combined to create “best of” lists by age range. For EIDR’s after-school viewing, this means lists of the “Best Tween Movies” and “Best Tween TV Shows.”

The programs in Common Sense Media’s tween-approved viewing lists also identified in the EIDR Content ID registry. Each EIDR record includes basic descriptive metadata plus links to other organizations for more information, including Common Sense Media’s age advisory ratings.

[1] Oh, sure, and the Beatles first appearance on British TV, Superstation WTBS goes national, The Simpsonspremieres on television, etc., but surely such events pale in comparison to EIDR’s birthday.

[2] An abbreviation of “between” applied to children of approximately 10-12 years of age. There is no official age span for a tween (some sources include children as young as 8), but it is generally considered to be a developmental stage spanning the transition from childhood to teenager and young adult.

[3] Please see “Behind the Common Sense Media ratings system” for more information.

Programs for Tween-Friendly Viewing