Press Contacts:
Marisa Connolly
Common Sense Media
(415) 553-6703
mconnolly@commonsensemedia.org

Mary Ellen Keating
Barnes & Noble, Inc.
(212) 633-3323
mkeating@bn.com

New York, New York and San Francisco—Barnes & Noble, Inc. (BKS), the world’s largest bookseller, and Common Sense Media (commonsense.org), the nation's leading non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to improving families’ experiences with media and entertainment, have formed a partnership that will help millions of Barnes & Noble customers find age-appropriate books, movies, games and music for their kids.

Barnes & Noble.com has added a “For Parents” section at the top of the page in their online children’s section, which will provide Common Sense Media’s Decider Slider™ and age-appropriateness rating for each item selected, whether it’s a book, movie, game or music offering, as well as Common Sense Media’s “Parents Need to Know” information, which helps parents make a decision quickly based on the most relevant details from the review. The bottom of the page will feature a more complete breakdown of Common Sense Media’s review – including violent/sexual content, positive/negative messages and more.

Common Sense Media features nearly 10,000 comprehensive reviews of movies, TV, books, music, games and websites, all based on developmental criteria from some of the nation's leading authorities. Every review features an easy ON, OFF or PAUSE rating for age-appropriateness, as well as a rating for quality. In addition, every Common Sense Media review features a content grid that highlights specific content concerns, including violence, sexual content, language and key messages.

“We know how challenging it can be for parents to make smart choices for their kids,” said William Lynch, president of Barnes & Noble.com.  “Adding Common Sense Media ratings and reviews for books, movies, games and music is our way of making life easier for parents and taking the worry out of making age-appropriate selections for their kids.”

“We’re thrilled with Barnes & Noble’s commitment to helping parents find quality media entertainment quickly and easily," said Anne Zehren, president and COO of Common Sense Media. "Kids today spend more time with media than they do in school or with their parents. As the leading non-profit organization dedicated to improving the media environment for kids, our goal at Common Sense is to empower parents with the tools and information they need to help kids get the best – and avoid the worst – of media and entertainment. We can achieve that with great business partners like Barnes & Noble."