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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 12, age appropriate for kids over 13; suggested age 14.

  • Is it any good?

    5.0

  • Common Sense says

    NBC's safe and informative political haven.

Why We Rated This on for Ages 14 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Initially created as a student aid for AP coursework, this site contains a vast amount of educational information for teens and adults on all things U.S. politics.

  • Messages:

    The site's current focus is helping teens educate themselves and discuss the '08 presidential election in interactive, fun ways. Thus far, the message boards contain no flaming and include some meaty topics.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Only in a newsy way.

  • Sex:

    None observed on the iCue site; however, if teens go to the Student Center, they're sometimes routed to the MSNBC.MSN.com site where celebrity gossip includes some racy Hollywood-style news. For example, there's currently a slide show of photos of a bra-only wearing Britney Spears.

  • Language:

    Although not watched 24/7, moderators do keep tabs on content posted on the message boards, which thus far seems to be respectful, diverse, and on point. There's a report abuse button on the bottom of each post, and moderators even delete messages posted in all caps, to discourage escalating heated debates.

  • Consumerism:

    NBC logos are the only ads here. If users go to the Student Center, however, the MSNBC site they're linked to contains lots of ads.

  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    See above warning about link to MSNBC celeb gossip site. Some Hollywood news talks about drinking and drugs.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About iCue

Parents need to know that this is a top-notch education, news, and discussion site for those who want to dig into politics, especially the '08 presidential elections. Created with the help of research based on MIT's Education Arcade, this site knows how to keep users on track for a quality educational experience -- that means respectful, diverse, and on point message boards and ways to report posters if they're inappropriate. Featuring video clips from the NBC news video archives that take on the form of "cue cards," users can save, archive, write on, and discuss their favorites.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about everything related to the '08 presidential election using this information-packed site as a discussion starter, reference, and current events log. Discuss with your teen some of the site's rules for civil discourse, an important reminder on- and offline during an election year. View the site through the lens of media criticism and discuss the downsides of getting political news from only one media outlet. Is NBC presenting all candidates in an unbiased light? Do they seem to favor one candidate more than others? How can your teen make sure they're getting balanced news coverage?
Tools and tips that can help

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