Today, Explained does what it says on the tin: it explains today's news. For adults and older teens who want more than headlines, it's a solid daily news habit that provides actual context and analysis.

But let's be clear—this is not family listening. The reality of daily news means your kid could hear about school shootings, war crimes, political scandals, or pandemic deaths while you're driving to soccer practice. There's no kids' version playing (well, there was 'Today, Explained to Kids' but that's a separate thing), and no content warnings to help you decide if today's episode is okay for your 12-year-old to overhear.

For high schoolers who need to understand current events for class or just want to be informed citizens? Yeah, this works. But preview it yourself first, and maybe use it as a jumping-off point for conversations rather than just ambient background audio.