Cnn – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Cnn

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

Website

78%

WISE Score

The news for the attention-span generation: 10 minutes of global events without the 24-hour cycle anxiety.

Cnn

Website

78%

WISE Score

The news for the attention-span generation: 10 minutes of global events without the 24-hour cycle anxiety.

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Screenwise Verdict

CNN 10 is the goldilocks of student news. It respects a kid's intelligence without burying them in the existential dread that usually comes with the evening news. It's fast, it's free, and it's a classroom staple for a reason.

The real trick is managing the environment. If they're watching on a laptop, they're one click away from the main CNN homepage, which is definitely not curated for kids. Use it as a shared experience—watch it together and be ready to deconstruct the big, scary stuff that occasionally pops up in the global headlines.

Age Fit

Perfect for 5th grade and up. Younger kids might find the pacing fast and the topics a bit abstract, but it's a great 'step-up' for middle schoolers.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

CNN 10 is specifically curated to avoid the 'if it bleeds it leads' sensationalism of the 24-hour cycle, focusing on objective reporting for a student audience.

Imaginative

It's a news program, so it's rooted in reality. While it sparks curiosity about the world, it isn't an imaginative or creative outlet in itself.

Safe

The CNN 10 portal is safe, but it's hosted on the main CNN domain. One stray click can lead a kid from a story about pandas to a graphic headline about crime or war on the homepage.

Enriching

Excellent for vocabulary, global awareness, and understanding how the world actually works. It's a high-value use of ten minutes.

Parent Info

✓

Why It Might Be Great

Zero fluff means kids get a high-level overview of world events without the talking-head shouting matches.
Commercial-free presentation keeps the focus on the information rather than the latest toy or pharmaceutical ad.
News literacy focus helps kids understand the 'why' behind global conflicts and economic shifts.
Daily consistency makes it an easy ritual for breakfast or the drive to school.

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What to Watch For

The sidebar of doom is real; while CNN 10 is curated for kids, the surrounding links on the CNN website are often graphic or mature.
Political lean is a common critique; it's best used as a starting point for conversation rather than the final word on any topic.
Disasters and war are part of the news, and even with a student-friendly lens, they can be heavy for sensitive kids.

Conversation Starters

"Which story today do you think will still be important in five years?"
"Did you notice any words the reporter used that sounded like they were taking a side?"
"If you were the editor, what's one thing you would have explained more clearly?"
"What was the most surprising thing you learned about a country you've never visited?"

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