About KIDS FIRST!

Adult Juror Manual

How to Evaluate Children's Media Using KIDS FIRST! Criteria

Every title you evaluate will receive both a rating (endorsed/not endorsed) and a ranking (0 to 5 stars). Titles which do not meet baseline criteria are never endorsed.

KIDS FIRST! Baseline Criteria

At the bare minimum, any title that you recommend for endorsement must meet or exceed the following criteria:

• NO gratuitous violence or abuse
• NO inappropriate sexual behavior
  
• NO inappropriate language
• NO bias in terms of race, gender, culture or religion
• NO condescension toward children
• NO replicable unsafe behavior

Explanation of Baseline Criteria

1. No gratuitous violence or abuse, including both physical and / or verbal abuse

 

• Gratuitous violence is violence for the sake of being violent. Usually assocciated with low budget movies and cult-type videogames. Given without need, often unrealistic.
• Sometimes gratuitous violence is hidden under the guise of cartoons or fantasy animation. We sometimes overlook violence in cartoons without realizing that violent words or actions are still communicated to an audience. Children are highly affected by violent programs, which may encourage them to act out in aggressive ways or desensitize them to others' pain and suffering.
• When evaluating programs that may contain gratuitous violence, pay attention to interactions between characters, types of weapons used, injuries or pain, "cool villains," funny violence and conflict resolution. Does the violence help to get across a message central to the plot, or is it just blood, gore and guts? If a program contains more violence than a Juror feels necessary, reject the title with a specific description.
• Name-calling, teasing, slapstick humor, foul language, hitting, punching, kicking, causing bodily harm, property destruction and disrespect are all types of abuse that seep through the cracks of children's media and into the eyes, ears and minds of children. Children learn to model these types of negative behaviors. As a KIDS FIRST! Juror, it is your challenge to spot this type of abuse and identify it. There is no cut-and-dry rule here. Some "rough-stuff" may be used good-natured, or some may be central to the plot, making a point. This all depends on the context of the program and how it is used.

2. No inappropriate sexual behavior

Inappropriate sexual behavior, or sexually aggressive behavior, is a term which encompasses a variety of behaviors, including obscene gesturing, touching or hugging another person inappropriately, exposing body parts or disrobing, and masturbating in public.

3. No inappropriate language

Profanity has crept into our language even in programming meant for a youth audience. Some mild profanity may be deemed acceptable for older kids, ages 12 and up but certainly, not for our younger viewers - those 11 and under. You will need to use your own judgment for this. Certain words, such as the F* word, are inappropriate under any circumstances and, the MPAA will rate it as R for using. Use the qualitative portion of the form to define any marginal words you find and point out their usage.

4. No bias in terms of race, gender, culture or religion

Bias is defined as prejudice in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another, usually in a way considered to be unfair. Bias can be seen as the overarching definition of stereotype and prejudice, because it is how we associate traits (usually negative) to a specific group of people.

Bias affects children in ways we might not realize. Research indicates that:

 

• Children as young as age two notice and begin to classify differences in gender and race.
• Children as young as age three are susceptible to believing stereotypes.
• Children at age five understand cultural identity and can identify stereotypes.
• Children at age nine believe stereotypes are correct unless they experience a major life experience to
  the contrary.

Religious bias in media promotes one religious point of view and discourages any other religious beliefs or considers them unacceptable. It is important to notice how people’s differences are portrayed and what, if any, stereotyping you see.

5. No condescension towards children

 

• The definition of condescending is acting in a way that shows a superior attitude. An example of condescending is a parent who speaks to her grown child as if he were still a toddler. YourDictionary definition and usage example.

• 10 Behaviors People Find Condescending

• 1. "Mansplaining" or Over-Explaining

  • The Behavior: Explaining concepts, processes, or facts that the other person clearly already knows.

  • Why it hurts: It carries an implicit assumption that you are the authority and the other person is uninformed or less intelligent.

  2. Generalizing with Absolute Language

  • The Behavior: Using rigid phrases like "You always..." or "You never..." during a discussion or critique.

  • Why it hurts: It reduces a person's entire track record down to a single flaw, stripping away nuance and dismissing their actual efforts.

  3. Pedantic Interruptions

  • The Behavior: Cutting someone off mid-sentence just to correct their grammar, vocabulary, or pronunciation.

  • Why it hurts: It prioritizes minor technical rules over the substance of what the person is trying to communicate, signaling that how they speak matters more than what they say.

  4. Tone Policing

  • The Behavior: Dropping dismissive, placating phrases like "Take it easy," "Calm down," or "Don't be so sensitive."

  • Why it hurts: It minimizes the other person’s legitimate emotional response and shifts the focus away from the actual issue at hand.

  5. Using Backhanded Qualifiers

  • The Behavior: Saying things like, "I actually like that idea," or "That was surprisingly clever."

  • Why it hurts: The words actually and surprisingly imply that your baseline expectation of the person is incredibly low.

  6. Layering Criticism ("The Compliment Sandwich")

  • The Behavior: Wrapping a piece of negative feedback between two superficial compliments.

  • Why it hurts: Most people see right through it. It can feel manipulative or insincere, treating the recipient like a child who cannot handle direct, constructive honesty.

  7. Demeaning Nicknames or Terms of Endearment

  • The Behavior: Referring to colleagues, peers, or strangers with overly familiar titles like "Chief," "Boss," "Honey," or "Sweetheart."

  • Why it hurts: In a professional or neutral setting, it establishes an artificial hierarchy and strips the recipient of their professional standing.

  8. Intrusive Physical Gestures

  • The Behavior: Patting someone on the head, pinching a cheek, or giving a dismissive tap on the shoulder.

  • Why it hurts: It violates personal space in a highly paternalistic way, treating an adult like a pet or a toddler.

  9. Checking Your Devices Mid-Conversation

  • The Behavior: Glancing at your phone, checking smartwatches, or typing out an email while someone is actively speaking to you.

  • Why it hurts: It silently communicates that your time, notifications, and agenda are vastly more important than the person standing right in front of you.

  10. Sarcastic Validation (The "Good Job" Nod)

  • The Behavior: Offering slow, exaggerated clapping or an overly dramatic "Good for you!" for basic tasks.

  • Why it hurts: It mimics the way you praise a young child for a minor milestone, making it feel deeply mocking when directed at an equal.

6. No replicable unsafe behavior

Unsafe behaviors are considered "replicable" when they are depicted or presented in a way that intrigues children enough to imitate them. Because young audiences naturally look to media for social cues, games, and behaviors to test in the real world, identifying these moments is crucial for media curation and evaluation.

Key examples of high-risk unsafe behaviors include:

• Actions that contribute to unintentional injuries or violence.

• High-risk sexual behaviors (leading to unintended pregnancy or STDs/HIV).

• Alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drug substance use.

• Unhealthy dietary habits and chronic physical inactivity.

The Real-World Danger of On-Screen Stunts

The danger of replicable behavior is that what looks like innocent, thrilling fun on screen can quickly turn into a real-world disaster. A classic example is a scenario in a famous, devastating scene from the 1993 psychological thriller The Good Son, which starred Macaulay Culkin and Elijah Wood. In that movie, Macaulay Culkin plays Henry, a deeply disturbed, psychopathic boy who engineers various "pranks" that are incredibly dangerous. In one scene, he and his cousin (played by Elijah Wood) go out to a highway overpass, and Henry drops a life-sized dummy right into traffic, causing a massive, multi-car pileup. While it's not a leaf pile, the film is legendary for depicting exactly the kind of highly dangerous, "replicable behavior" that terrified parents and media watchdogs at the time.

Summary

Pay attention to the KIDS FIRST! baseline criteria when evaluating films or other media. You will be giving everything both a qualitative and quantitative score. Use the qualitative portion to explain why you gave the score you did.

Introduction
Evaluation Process
Using KIDS FIRST! Criteria
Evaluation Format
Rejecting a Title
Review Reminders
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