Parents often worry about whether the content their children watch is age-appropriate. Common Sense Media is an independent nonprofit organization that helps families make informed media choices by providing expert ratings and reviews of movies, TV shows, and books. Each review breaks down what is in the content, including language, violence, positive messages, and age appropriateness – so parents can decide what works for their family. All ratings are grounded in child development research, with recommendations based on how children actually process content at different stages.
Requirements
- For On Demand and Discover content there is no requirements except using a supported app.
- For Personal Media – Plex Media Server 1.42.1 or newer, where libraries use the Plex Movie or Plex Series agents. If you do not see the age rating on details pages from your Plex Media Server, metadata may need to be refreshed.
Supported Apps
- Plex for Mobile (Android or iOS) 2025.24.0 or newer
- Will be added to other apps in the future.
Related Page: Plex Movie Agent
Related Page: Plex TV Series Agent
Features
Free to All
The basic Common Sense Media data all users will see
- Age Rating: Indicates the youngest appropriate age, from 2-18, based on specific content and overall developmental guidelines. A rating of 13+ , for example, means the title is recommended for ages 13 and up.
- Star Rating: Indicates Common Sense Media’s opinion of the title’s quality. When account holders without a Plex Pass click on the age rating, they will see the Common Sense Media star rating and have the option to view a sample Common Sense Media review.
Plex Pass
Accounts with a Plex Pass, or members of a Plex Home where the home admin has a Plex Pass, get additional useful information from Common Sense Media to help you stay informed about what you and your family are watching.
- Age Rating – Rated by what is appropriate from 2 to 18 year olds. Where 13+ is recommended for 13 years old or above for example.
- Common Sense Media star rating.
- Supporting information for parents to explain Common Sense Media’s rating, organized into five simple questions that expand to offer additional details.
- Parents’ Rating – A star rating based on parents’ reviews and the age they think it’s appropriate for.
- Kids’ Rating – A star rating based on kids’ reviews and the age they think it is appropriate for.
For more info on how Common Sense Media determines ratings, there is more info on their site at (external site) Commonsensemedia.org
FAQ
- I have a Common Sense Media membership. Can I sign into and use/sync that with Plex?
- No. Plex does not directly link with Common Sense Media accounts.
- I don’t have kids so I don’t really care about this. Can I hide the Common Sense Media rating?
- The rating cannot be hidden — and many people without kids still find it helpful to see detailed information on the type of content a title includes.
- I have a few movies or shows on my server that do not have a Common Sense Media rating, why?
- You may just need to refresh metadata but not all movies and shows have been rated by Common Sense Media yet. Common Sense Media primarily has ratings for content available in the US.
- Will I see a Common Sense Media rating on Seasons or Episodes?
- Common Sense Media does not have ratings for individual Seasons or Episodes, only Movies and Shows.
- Can I use this for access restrictions for my Plex Media Server libraries?
- Not at this time but something we are looking into