Diverse collection of videos ranges from tame to iffy.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Language
a lot
"S--t" appears in videos, as well as tamer words like "damn," but overall the site seems to make an effort to limit bad language. Part of an Ice Cube song is censored in a video, and many of the videos don't include swearing.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.
Several shorts feature sex-related content, including videos with an elderly woman discussing her porn career (with quick shots of it), a graphic cartoon about sex with naked characters, and "ads" for an "escort and computer help" service for congressmen.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.
One video features girls jokingly electrocuting one girl's boyfriend; another black-and-white retro movie involves a man saving his decapitated wife's head in a coat after a car accident to attach it on another body. In another, blood-soaked vampires make out.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.
Ads for items like pistachios precede many of the videos (along with a sponsorship message from the company).
Drinking, Drugs & Smoking
a little
A comedy video in which kids portray the "Real Housewives of New Jersey" features a written joke about drugs; a couple of joke-of-the-day videos are about drinking.
Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.
Some videos highlight topics like the importance of volunteering, and many encourage filmmaking and the arts, but the wide range of videos comes with a wide range of messages.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that some clips on the Babelgum video site mention or involve discussion of sexual content, iffy language, and some violence. Users can't upload videos, and you don't need to register to watch the videos; but if you're 13 or older you can register in order to create a video playlist.
BABELGUM features a diverse collection of free videos, ranging from musician interview clips to full-length black-and-white movies. Some were created for other sites and others are Babelgum originals. There are several for-adults-only videos -- such as a preview for a documentary about an elderly woman's porn career (it emphasizes positive body image but still, she's seemingly naked and being groped).
Yet, much of the content is relatively tame. One of the more iffy videos on the "NSFW" comedy section, for example, involves characters mentioning a sex contest-winning alien and a blurred out image of an alien groin. Surprisingly, there also isn't much swearing on the site. You may not want to let your kids roam unsupervised -- but creating a playlist of pre-approved options and watching them together will allow your kid to enjoy the site's kid-friendly offerings.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how kids can safely search for videos on the Internet. How can you tell if a site's videos are kid-friendly?
It's easy to get sucked into video sites for hours -- there's often plenty to watch! But how much time is too much time to spend on a website (or in front of screens, in general)?
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
suggesting a diversity update.
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.
By Erin Brereton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?