A note from the founder of Screenwise
I built Screenwise for my own family. We’re sharing it so other parents don’t have to figure this out alone. This is a wild time to be raising kids, and it’s only getting more intense. Here’s what we believe, and how it started.
Our mission is to help you anchor in real data so that you can make intentional parenting decisions. Like: “But ALL my friends are playing Roblox!” (hint: they’re not). And “I’m LITERALLY the only kid in my class who doesn’t have an iPhone” (we see you). We give families real data from your actual community — what kids in your kid’s grade, school, and broader community are actually doing. Not to limit usage or lower screen time, but to use the data to make intentional decisions.
Common Sense Media is a gift to humanity. We all love Rotten Tomatoes. But both sites give just one rating for everyone (and a review often written 10 years ago). Screenwise adapts every guide to your kid, your values, your situation. Movies, shows, books, games, podcasts, channels, products — not a generic age label, or a scare score, but a personalized, nuanced fit. Read about how our WISE system creates a custom score for every family.
Our family is board games, shows and movies. Some video games but only really at friend’s houses. No YouTube, no Minecraft, no Roblox, no TikTok, no ChatGPT. That works for us (for now!) — but that model doesn’t have to work for you. If your kid plays Fortnite or gets Robux for birthdays, and you’re doing that with clarity and intention — you’re doing great. Screenwise isn’t here to tell you what to choose. We’re here to help you be intentional about it all.
The companies competing for your kid’s attention employ tens of thousands of engineers, psychologists, and AI systems. Their algorithms are nuclear-grade. Their job is to win your attention...and it’s working, even on us as grownups. Against kids, it’s just not a fair fight. Screenwise is what happens when parents pool what they know — calibrate together, recommend together, and make intentional choices together.
The slang is the easy part — Skibidi Toilet, Sigma, Ohio, Brainrot, 67, we’ll get you up to speed. The harder part is the nuance underneath: which YouTube channel grows brains vs. melts them, why kids love Roblox, what parental controls actually do, when ChatGPT belongs in homework and when it doesn’t, what’s really happening inside the friend-group group chat.
If you made it here, you’re already doing great.
Screenwise is what intentional parenting looks like in the age of TikTok, Roblox and ChatGPT. Parents pooling what we know — what’s working, what isn’t, what’s worth a Saturday morning, what to ask the school about next. A second set of eyes when something feels off. A friend at pickup who’s done their homework.
I love talking to other parents about this stuff, so if you have ideas, find me in the or email me — I read and respond to every message.
— Dan
Founder, Screenwise
P.S. Screenwise is free for families searching for guides to movies, shows, books, games, apps, and more. If you want to unlock your own family’s personalized list of the best things for your family to watch, play and read, sign up as a Screenwise Family.* We have 80,000 shows, movies, games, apps, products, books, podcasts, YouTube channels and more in our database — and as you use the system, we re-rank every single one for your unique family.
* If the cost is prohibitive, just email me — [email protected] — and I’ll give you full access for $1.