Parents' Guide to

PBS Kids Video

By Dana Anderson, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 3+

Quality, ad-free PBS shows (but it's still screen time).

Website http://pbskids.org/video
PBS-Kids-Video Website Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

See all
age 5+

Based on 4 parent reviews

Wguy6
Wguy6 Adult
September 12, 2020
age 6+

I just want to play
Stephanie R.
Stephanie R. Parent of 4 and 7-year-old
October 13, 2016
age 5+

Learning

I'm still getting a feel for it
See all 4 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Pass

  • Personal information is not sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is not displayed.
  • Data are not collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is not used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Data profiles are not created and used for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (4 ):
Kids say (10 ):

From using the word "Big" instead of "Maximize" to increase the size of the video currently playing, to listing the time of each clip or full episode, PBS creates both a child- and parent-friendly video portal site. Most parents clearly don't want their preschoolers or young grade-school age kids exploring YouTube or other video sites. But the PBS Kids Video site can be easily navigated even by preschoolers (but parents should always sit with kids this age when they're using the computer). One caveat: Once a show is selected, each clip will run consecutively into the next, so if parents aren't paying close attention, a child could easily be sucked into far too much screen time without even noticing.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Why PBS shows are good, quality shows. Ask your preschooler why they like some of their favorite PBS shows, and tell them why you like them, too. Read about how a PBS Kids series helped lower income kids learn to read.

  • Discuss why television time is still television time, whether watching it on a flat screen or a computer monitor.

  • Consider clicking on the "Games" portion of the video site with your child and take their love of a particular show into the more interactive realm of PBS Kids' educational games.

Website Details

  • Genre: Video Sites
  • Pricing structure: Free
  • Last updated: July 7, 2022

Did we miss something on diversity?

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.

See all recommended website lists

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.

See how we rate