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    Friday, April 26, 2024

    New ‘worry-free’ streaming site offers safe content for kids

    The TV streaming world, it seems, becomes more crowded by the day. But amid all this head-spinning traffic, where can parents be assured that their kids are tuning into age-appropriate content?

    It might make sense to try Sensical.

    Backed by San Francisco-based Common Sense Media, Sensical is a “worry free” streaming service for children ages 2-10. It launched this week with more 15,000 videos curated by topic and age group.

    “Sensical was founded on the belief that kids deserve better,” said Eric Berger, CEO of Common Sense Networks. “We built a service from the ground up, rooted in science, supported by experts in the field and designed to reflect how kids stream today.”

    The free, ad-supported service was announced late last year and introduced earlier this spring in an extensive closed beta test with parents. Founded in 2003, Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization that aims to promote safe technology and media for children. (Common Sense Networks is a for-profit affiliate).

    The vetted offerings on Sensical are broken down for three distinct target audiences: Preschoolers (ages 2-4), Little Kids (5-7) and Big Kids (8-10).

    Children and their parents can choose what to watch, on-demand, based on categories. There are, for example, music videos, along with shows about dinosaurs, science, counting and arts and crafts.

    Within the app’s ParentZone, a dashboard tool for managing viewing activity, caregivers can access the Learning Report to learn about the long-term benefits associated with the content their children are watching. This automated tool provides specific insights about a child’s interests based on their viewing history so parents and caregivers can engage in “meaningful conversations and activities with their children to extend their learnings and amplify their passions.”

    Content partners for Sensical include the companies behind shows like “Poppy Cat” (CAKE), “The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss” (The Jim Henson Company), “Teletubbies” (WildBrain), “Leo the Wildlife Ranger” (Cyber Group Studios), “Kipper” (Mattel), “Bo Bear” (Superights), “Apple Tree House” (Raydar Media), “Moka’s Fabulous Adventures” (Xilam Animation), “Lexie & Lottie” (ZDF Enterprises) and “Mister Maker” (Zodiak Kids).

    Other digital partners include the California Academy of Sciences, the Guggenheim Museum, Howdytoons, Kids’ Black History and Penguin Random House’s Brightly Storytime.

    Sensical is available on iOS, Android, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and Apple TV and there are plans to expand to all major distribution platforms later this summer.

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