Common Sense Media reviews and rates media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children. It also funds research on the role of media in the lives of children and advocates publicly for laws regarding child-friendly media. The group advocates for left-of-center policies and promotes critical race theory-inspired diversity, equity, and inclusion principles throughout its content. In addition to its media review and research the group conducts a program called “Common Sense Education” that has engaged nearly 300,000 teachers and provided lesson plans concerning “digital citizenship” in thousands of U.S. and U.K. schools. ^{1 2}

Common Sense Media is funded by a variety of left-of-center foundations including the Bezos Family Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. ³ The group’s founder, Jim Steyer, is the brother of left-of-center megadonor Tom Steyer. ⁴

Background

Common Sense Media was founded by civil rights attorney Jim Steyer in 2003 with the goal of providing reviews and ratings regarding the appropriateness for children of media such as television, movies, and video games. The organization rates such media using tags such as “positive role models,” “positive messages,” “diverse representation,” “violence and scariness,” “sexual content,” “language,” and “consumerism.” ^{5 6}

Common Sense Media’s content is distributed to more than 100 million U.S. homes via partnerships with a variety of media and tech companies. The group’s ratings are often integrated into cable and streaming platforms including Apple TV, Comcast, DirecTV, and Verizon. The organization is funded approximately 40 percent from foundations and receives other funding from fees from media partnerships and individual donations. ⁷

Educational Programming

Common Sense Media conducts a program called “Common Sense Education” which has engaged nearly 300,000 teachers and provided lesson plans concerning “digital citizenship” in thousands of U.S. and U.K. schools. The groups curriculum includes lesson plans on “finding credible news” and “challenging confirmation bias.” ⁸

Funding

Common Sense Media is funded by left-of-center foundations including the Bezos Family Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the Anschutz Foundation, Best Buy, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation, the Michael and Susan Dell Foundation, Rose Hills Foundation, Twitter, and the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. ⁹

People

James P. “Jim” Steyer is the founder and CEO of Common Sense Media. Steyer began his career as a law clerk to the California Supreme Court and subsequently worked as a civil rights attorney for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund working on the group’s Poverty and Justice Program. Steyer is also a professor at Stanford University where he teaches courses at the Stanford School of Education as well as the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity. ¹⁰ Steyer earns more than $520,000 in annual compensation from Common Sense Media. ¹¹ Jim Steyer is the older brother of left-of-center billionaire megadonor Tom Steyer. ¹²

Ellen Park is the president of Common Sense Media. Park was the cofounder of Women.com, a consumer internet company that was later sold to NBC. ¹³

Danny Weiss is the chief advocacy officer at Common Sense Media, serving as the chief lobbyist for the organization. Weiss worked as a congressional staffer for nearly 30 years, ultimately serving as the chief of staff to then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D). He has worked for Common Sense Media since 2015. ¹⁴

1. “Digital Citizenship Curriculum.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/curriculum?topic=news–media-literacy
2. “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/diversity-equity-inclusion
3. “Foundation Partners.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023.  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-partners/foundation-partners
4. “The Steyer brothers: ‘We’re fearless.’” Politico. February 24, 2014. Accessed April 12, 2023. https://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/billionaire-jim-steyer-tom-steyer-education-103890
5. “Our Mission.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-mission#
6. “Best of 2022.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/best-of-2022
7. ^[1]  “Our Partners.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023.  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-partners
8. “Digital Citizenship Curriculum.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://www.commonsense.org/education/digital-citizenship/curriculum?topic=news–media-literacy
9. “Foundation Partners.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023.  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/our-partners/foundation-partners
10. “Meet Our Team.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023.  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/meet-our-team
11. “Common Sense Media.” Propublica Nonprofit Explorer. Accessed April 16, 2023. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/412024986
12. “The Steyer brothers: ‘We’re fearless.’” Politico. February 24, 2014. Accessed April 12, 2023. https://www.politico.com/story/2014/02/billionaire-jim-steyer-tom-steyer-education-103890
13. “Meet Our Team.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023.  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/meet-our-team
14. “Meet Our Team.” Common Sense Media. Accessed April 16, 2023.  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/meet-our-team