Common Sense Growth
Common Sense Growth is the product-building subsidiary of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that publishes independent age-based ratings and reviews of movies, TV, books, apps, games, and AI products for U.S. families and K-12 schools. It monetizes via donations and platform-integration licensing deals with major streaming, cable, and family-safety providers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersSan Francisco, United States
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Common Sense Growth does
Common Sense Growth is a San Francisco-based subsidiary of Common Sense Media, the 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2003 that operates the leading independent age-based media rating platform for U.S. families. The organization employs 101-250 staff and produces standardized 0-5 dot-scale reviews across movies, TV, books, apps, games, podcasts, websites, and now AI products, evaluating categories including violence, sex, language, educational value, positive messages, role models, diverse representations, and privacy (rated Pass/Warning/Fail). Its technology backbone is a research-grounded human-expert rating methodology backed by two decades of editorial output, plus specialized tools such as the Diverse Representations Rating and Privacy Program evaluations.
The commercial surface spans four customer segments: parents and caregivers (free consumer website), K-12 educators and schools (paid digital citizenship curriculum and AI-literacy training reaching all 50 states), technology platforms (Apple TV+, AT&T, Cox, Spectrum, Xfinity, Fandango at Home, Aura Parents embed Common Sense ratings into their products), and children/teens (direct consumers of reviewed media). The February 2026 "Using AI Wisely for School Success" Toolkit, co-developed with Day of AI, extends the franchise into AI literacy for families and schools and culminates in America's Youth AI Festival at MIT in July 2026.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (FEIN 41-2024986), Common Sense Growth monetizes through donations and charitable contributions plus corporate partnership/licensing deals with streaming, cable, and family-safety platforms. Core consumer ratings and educator resources are free; corporate integrations monetize the rating library as embedded content. No funding rounds, parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or revenue figures are disclosed in the source data.
Common Sense Growth firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Common Sense Growth
- Legal name
- Common Sense Media
- Website
- https://commonsensemedia.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Common Sense Growth is the product-building subsidiary of Common Sense Media, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that publishes independent age-based ratings and reviews of movies, TV, books, apps, games, and AI products for U.S. families and K-12 schools. It monetizes via donations and platform-integration licensing deals with major streaming, cable, and family-safety providers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Common Sense Growth industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Family Media Ratings and Reviews
- NAICS
- Information (51), Educational Services (611), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Kids & Family Curated Content Platforms (MPACAKAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Parenting Skills & Child Development Education (EDACALAA), Family Co-Viewing Educational Channels (MPABAKAL)
Keywords
Where Common Sense Growth is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Francisco
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
Common Sense Growth business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Donations and Charitable Contributions: As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, Common Sense Media relies heavily on donations from individuals, foundations, and corporate partners to fund operations and maintain editorial independence.
- Corporate Partnerships: Partnerships with streaming platforms, cable providers, and family safety apps where Common Sense ratings are integrated into their products. These partnerships are guided by the principle of whether they help kids, with editorial independence being non-negotiable.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Common Sense Growth product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Common Sense Growth builds and invests in products and services that help kids and families thrive, operating as the product-building subsidiary of Common Sense Media. Its core offering is independent age-based ratings and reviews across movies, TV, books, apps, games, podcasts, and websites, paired with K-12 digital citizenship curriculum, privacy evaluations, the Common Sense Selections seal program, and AI guidance toolkits. The organization also operates a separate educator platform, family community forums, and a research program on children's media use.
Product overview
Common Sense Growth operates as a nonprofit organization offering a unified platform of media ratings, reviews, educational resources, and family guidance tools. The core offering consists of independent age-based ratings and reviews for movies, TV shows, books, apps, games, podcasts, and websites, supplemented by the Common Sense Selections seal program highlighting quality content. The Digital Citizenship Curriculum provides school-based digital citizenship education, while the 'Using AI Wisely for School Success' Toolkit offers AI-focused family guidance. Additional resources include Parents' Ultimate Guides, Privacy Program evaluations, Research publications, and a Community platform for family discussions. The organization also evaluates media for diverse representations and provides AI chatbot reviews.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Common Sense Education: Educational programs and resources for educators
- Digital Citizenship Program
- Family Engagement Program (FACE)
- Privacy Program
- Research Program
- Advocacy Program
Products and services
- Age-Based Media Reviews and Ratings Independent age-based ratings and reviews for movies, TV shows, books, apps, games, podcasts, and websites to help families make informed media decisions.
- Common Sense Selections (Seal Program) Recognition program awarding seals to outstanding family entertainment that sparks family conversations, entertains families of all kinds, and has positive lasting effects on society.
- Digital Citizenship Curriculum Comprehensive curriculum for K-12 schools teaching digital citizenship, online safety, media literacy, and responsible technology use.
- Using AI Wisely for School Success Toolkit Educational toolkit helping families navigate AI use in education, with family-facing videos, conversation starters, age-based guidance, and interactive activities teaching responsible AI use.
- Common Sense Education Platform Separate platform at commonsense.org/education providing resources for educators including lesson plans, curriculum tools, and professional development for teaching digital citizenship.
- Privacy Program Privacy evaluations of apps and services, privacy ratings, and resources to help families understand data collection practices.
- Research Program Research publications and studies on children's media use, screen time, digital citizenship, and the impact of media on child development.
- Community Platform Community forum where parents, caregivers, and educators can post reviews, comments, and engage in discussions about media.
Quantifiable outcome
- Educators from all 50 states registered for virtual AI trainings
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Common Sense Growth
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Common Sense Growth technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability3 records
Feature2 records
Common Sense Growth partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Day of AIflagshipJoint partnership between Day of AI and Common Sense Media to launch the 'Using AI Wisely for School Success' toolkit, the third installment in the 'What Is AI for Families' series. Includes weekly virtual trainings for U.S. K-12 teachers and culminates in America's Youth AI Festival at MIT in July 2026.
- Apple TV+coreCommon Sense ratings are integrated into Apple TV+ platform, making age-appropriate recommendations available directly within the streaming service.
- AT&TcoreAT&T integrates Common Sense ratings into their family safety tools and entertainment platforms for customers.
- Cox CommunicationscoreCox Communications embeds Common Sense ratings and guidance into their cable and entertainment services for families.
- SpectrumcoreSpectrum integrates Common Sense ratings into their family-oriented programming and safety tools.
- XfinitycoreXfinity (Comcast) embeds Common Sense ratings into their cable and streaming services for parental guidance.
- Fandango at HomeminorFandango at Home integrates Common Sense ratings to help families make informed entertainment choices.
- Aura ParentsminorAura Parents family safety platform incorporates Common Sense ratings and guidance for parental controls.
- Common Sense Networks (Sensical)Sensical is Common Sense Media's affiliated partner that reviews YouTube Kids channels and content for age-appropriateness and diverse representations.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Common Sense Growth competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Khan Academy: Khan Academy provides free K-12 educational content and has expanded into AI literacy (Khanmigo). It is an emerging competitor in AI-in-education curriculum and adjacent to Common Sense Education's K-12 footprint.
Direct peers
- BrainPOP: BrainPOP delivers K-12 digital citizenship, media literacy, and educational content directly to schools. It competes for the same educator budgets and curricular adoption slots as Common Sense Education.
- Bark: Bark provides parental monitoring and content-safety tools for families, including app and content review features. It overlaps with Common Sense's family-safety guidance and embedded rating partnerships.
- Qustodio: Qustodio offers parental controls and family digital safety software, including content classification for children. Comparable to Common Sense's platform-integration partnerships with family-safety tools.
- Plugged In (Focus on the Family): Plugged In provides age-based media reviews for movies, TV, music, and games aimed at helping parents evaluate content for children. It directly competes in the family-media review category with overlapping methodology and audience.
- Kids In Mind: Kids In Mind offers detailed content ratings for movies and TV with categories for sex, violence, and language. It is a long-standing direct competitor in the parent-focused media review space.
- Sensical (Common Sense Networks): Sensical is Common Sense Media's affiliated partner that curates and reviews YouTube Kids channels and content for age-appropriateness. It is the most directly comparable peer, sharing methodology, mission, and brand lineage.
- MediaWise (Poynter Institute): MediaWise is a digital media literacy program for teens and educators, often delivered through schools. It overlaps with Common Sense's Digital Citizenship Curriculum in target audience (K-12 educators) and learning goals.
- Dove.org: Dove.org reviews family entertainment (movies, TV, books) through a values-based lens similar to Common Sense's Positive Messages and Role Models categories. Comparable mission and consumer audience.
Others
- Common Sense Media (parent nonprofit): Common Sense Media is the parent 501(c)(3) that publishes the underlying age-based rating library. It is not a competitor but the upstream source of the dataset Common Sense Growth's products build on.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Common Sense Growth social profiles
Digital presenceCommon Sense Growth financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Common Sense Growth leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Common Sense Growth funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Common Sense Growth M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments5 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Common Sense Growth
What does Common Sense Growth do?
Common Sense Growth builds and invests in products and services that help kids and families thrive, operating as the product-building subsidiary of Common Sense Media. Its core offering is independent age-based ratings and reviews across movies, TV, books, apps, games, podcasts, and websites, paired with K-12 digital citizenship curriculum, privacy evaluations, the Common Sense Selections seal program, and AI guidance toolkits. The organization also operates a separate educator platform, family community forums, and a research program on children's media use.
Is Common Sense Growth a public or private company?
Common Sense Growth is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Common Sense Growth founded?
Common Sense Growth was founded in 2003. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Common Sense Growth based?
Common Sense Growth is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, in the North America region.
How does Common Sense Growth make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Donations and Charitable Contributions are the primary driver. The others are corporate Partnerships.
Who are Common Sense Growth's main competitors?
Khan Academy is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are BrainPOP, Bark, Qustodio, Plugged In (Focus on the Family), Kids In Mind, Sensical (Common Sense Networks), MediaWise (Poynter Institute) and Dove.org. Common Sense Media (parent nonprofit) is listed as an others.
Does Common Sense Growth have an API?
No public API is recorded for Common Sense Growth.
What industry is Common Sense Growth in?
Common Sense Growth's product category is Family Media Ratings and Reviews. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAKAL, Kids & Family Curated Content Platforms, with a secondary code of EDACALAA, Parenting Skills & Child Development Education. Its NAICS code is 51 and its SIC code is 7990.