Kids Downloading Music with Explicit Lyrics

From the Editors of Common Sense Media

February 15, 2007

Q. My kid wants to download songs with explicit lyrics. I'm also concerned about messages, though. How can I find out what these songs really say?

A. Taking a moment to check out song lyrics can provide a great opportunity to discuss song messaging and language with your kids. As they get older, they're going to listen anyway, so it might be useful to put your two cents in now. Here's a list of Web sites that offer lyrics to most of the popular artists:

http://www.lyrics.com/ http://www.azlyrics.com/ http://www.lyricsmania.com/

http://www.metrolyrics.com/

http://www.sing365.com

And here are some questions you might want to ask yourself as you read through the lyrics:

Sex: Is the sex talk implied, or is it explicit and discussed graphically? Is the artist singing about promiscuity, cheating, unsafe sex, or age-inappropriate behavior?

Language: Is there language that someone might find offensive, such as profanities and racial slurs? How strong or abusive are the words? Are we talking occasional playful potty talk or constant swearing and hate words?

For more questions and the complete article, please visit http://www.commonsensemedia.org/parent_tips/commonsense_view/index.php?id=206 .