Sensical: Free Streaming for Kids | Common Sense Networks

A New Streaming Option for Kids: Introducing Sensical

Common Sense Media, well-known to parents as a resource for evaluating the suitability of entertainment and technology for children, has inspired its for-profit division, Common Sense Networks, to launch a new streaming platform. This new service, named Sensical, provides age-appropriate videos designed to both entertain and educate children between the ages of 2 and 10.

Extensive Content Library and Unique Recommendation System

Upon its release, the free, ad-supported service boasts a collection of over 15,000 videos that have been carefully selected. These are organized into more than 50 channels based on specific themes for children to explore. Unlike platforms such as Netflix or YouTube, Sensical deliberately avoids algorithmic content recommendations.

Instead, the service encourages children to pursue their individual interests and passions through its diverse range of topic-based channels. These encompass areas like Adventures, Animals, Arts & Crafts, Music, Science, Sports, Video Games, and a variety of other subjects appealing to young viewers.

Personalized Viewing Experience

Children have the ability to designate channels, or specific videos and series, as favorites, allowing them to easily access their preferred content within a dedicated Favorites section of the application.

Content is initially presented based on the child’s age, and the company intends to broaden the channel selection to include more specialized categories in the future. For instance, instead of a general “sports” category, there could be channels dedicated to “soccer” or “gymnastics.” Similarly, “Arts” could be refined into “drawing” or “origami,” and “science” could expand to include “geography” or “robotics.”

Live TV and Organized Content

A Live TV section is also included within the app, offering a continuous stream of kid-friendly programming throughout the day, eliminating the need for children to actively search for something to watch.

Many streaming services offer content suitable for children, but often lack a logical organizational structure. Content may be grouped into a broad “Kids” category, mixing videos intended for younger and older children. Sensical, however, categorizes its recommendations into three distinct experiences: preschool (ages 2-4), little kids (ages 5-7), and big kids (ages 8-10).

Parental Controls and Safety Features

The content a child views is determined by the profile settings configured by their parents. Furthermore, parents can utilize the service’s ParentZone dashboard to establish screen-time limits, adjust those limits as needed, and receive daily reports detailing the child’s viewing activity.

A key benefit of Sensical is its assurance of age-appropriateness, extending even to the advertisements displayed.

Rigorous Content Curation

This level of control is achieved through a curation process that differs significantly from that of YouTube Kids. While YouTube Kids relies on algorithms to filter out inappropriate content from its larger library, it does not manually review every video and acknowledges the possibility of unsuitable content slipping through.

Common Sense Networks, in contrast, states that dozens of trained child-development professionals meticulously review and rate “every single frame of video” before it is made available on the service, utilizing a proprietary and patent-pending process. This system also incorporates tagging content with specific child-developmental benefits.

Partnerships and Content Providers

To build its content library, Common Sense Networks has collaborated with numerous studios, distribution partners, and digital content creators.

These partners include CAKE (Poppy Cat), Cyber Group Studios (Leo The Wildlife Ranger), The Jim Henson Company (The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Jim Henson’s Animal Show with Stinky and Jake), Mattel (Kipper, Pingu, Max Steel), Raydar Media (Five Apples’ limited series, Apple Tree House), Superights (Bo Bear, Handico), WildBrain (Teletubbies, Rev & Roll), Xilam Animation (Learn and Play with Paprika, Moka’s Fabulous Adventures), ZDF Enterprises (Lexi & Lottie, School of Roars), Zodiak Kids (Mister Maker, Tee and Mo), ABC Commercial, CBC & Radio-Canada Distribution, Jetpack Distribution, Nelvana, 9 Story Distribution International, Sesame Workshop, Serious Lunch, and Studio 100.

Digital creators contributing content include ABCMouse, Aaron’s Animals, Alphabet Rockers, batteryPOP, California Academy of Sciences, GoldieBlox, The Gotham Group’s Gotham Reads, Guggenheim Museum, Howdytoons, Kids’ Black History, MEL Science + Chemistry, N*Gen, Pinkfong, Penguin Random House’s Brightly Storytime, Studio71 (Parry Gripp, Maymo, Hyper Roblox), Tankee, Ubongo Kids, Vooks, Bounce Patrol, Hevesh5, Mother Goose Club, StacyPlays, Super Simple Songs and The Whistle.

Privacy and Safety Compliance

Sensical adheres to the U.S. children’s privacy laws (COPPA) and is certified by the kidSAFE Seal Program.

Initial Impressions and Considerations

Initial testing of the mobile app confirms that Sensical functions as described. A potential drawback, however, is that older children nearing their tween years might perceive the app’s design as too juvenile, due to its cute imagery and youthful iconography.

The Live TV programming also appeared to be geared towards younger children, even when the app was tested with a profile set to an age of 10.

An improvement would be a more robust system for tracking Favorite channels and receiving updates on new video releases, as users transitioning from platforms like YouTube may desire a sense of ongoing content freshness. However, Sensical prioritizes hand-curation over immediacy, representing a deliberate trade-off.

Availability and Future Expansion

Sensical was initially introduced during a closed beta this spring and is now publicly available for streaming on web and mobile devices (iOS, Android), as well as Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Apple TV. Plans are in place to expand to additional platforms, including VIZIO, this summer.