Sky partners with Common Sense Media to bring peace of mind to parents

Monday 1 October 2018

Sky is partnering with Common Sense Media to introduce a detailed rating system that will help parents make smarter choices about what their children watch on Sky. The new service will launch in the UK in 2019.

Since its founding in 2003, Common Sense has built the largest, most trusted library of independent age-based reviews for everything kids want to watch, play, read and learn.

The service, which will be available on Sky Q, will include in-depth information on the prevalence of specific types of content. This includes the educational value of the show, positive messages, use of positive role models, bad language, violence, sex and drink and drugs. Each is rated on a scale of one to five depending on how applicable it is to each show.

Jeremy Darroch, Group Chief Executive, Sky, said:

“As a parent I know how reassuring it is that the Sky platform offers a safe, highly-regulated, family-friendly environment – but we know we can always do more.  Our partnership with Common Sense will help give parents greater peace of mind, helping them make smarter viewing choices for their children.”

Sky is committed to ensuring children are safe when watching TV or spending time online. Later this year Sky Kids Safe Mode will launch on Sky Q, helping parents hand pick and ring-fence the content they want their children to watch and password protect any content they feel is unsuitable.

This is in addition to the Sky Kids app which re-launched earlier this year with improved safety controls, Sky Broadband Shield and Sky’s continued investment in Internet Matters, an organisation that provides help and advice for parents navigating the online world.

Jeremy continued:

“We’re proud that our platform is getting even safer for children, but there is a much bigger problem that needs resolving. Social media addiction is damaging our society, and there is more evidence than ever that children are being affected by over-exposure to these platforms and they’re seeing more and more harmful content.”

Common Sense’s detailed rating system allows parents to choose content that will help inspire children to engage with the world around them, making the most of their screen time rather than potentially accessing dangerous and unregulated content that will negatively impact their development and learning.

“Media profoundly affects our children’s social, emotional and physical well-being and now, more than ever, parents need trusted resources to help them find developmentally appropriate content,” said James P Steyner, founder and CEO of Common Sense. “Our goal is to give Sky viewers trustworthy information, so they can decide what works for their child. We know every family and every kid is different, but all families deserve the information to make great media choices.”

About Sky

With 24 million customers across seven countries, Sky is Europe’s leading media and entertainment company and is proud to be part of the Comcast group. Our 31,000 employees help connect our customers with the very best of Sports, News, the arts and to our own local, original content. Following the success of Sky originals like Chernobyl, Patrick Melrose, Das Boot and Gomorrah we launched Sky Studios and now plan to more than double our investment in original drama and comedy over the next five years.

Our technology allows customers to watch what they want, when they want, how they want, and as we connect millions of families to content they love, it is our responsibility to do it safely – that’s why we offer services like Sky Broadband Buddy and the Sky Kids app. And our online streaming service, NOW TV, brings viewers all the enjoyment of Sky with the flexibility of a contract-free service.

We also believe that a company of our scale has a responsibility that goes beyond our business, and into the community. Our Sky Ocean Rescue campaign has reached millions across Europe, we’re on track to be free of single-use plastic by 2020, we’re investing £25million over five years in ocean-saving tech and we’re a proud employer – recognised by The Times and Stonewall for our approach to inclusivity.