# Common Sense Media Scraper (`crawlergang/commonsensemedia-scraper`) Actor Scrape CommonSenseMedia.org with search reviews, browse by content type (movies/games/books/apps/TV shows/websites), or fetch specific review pages. Returns age ratings, star ratings, content warnings, genres, cast/crew, and parental guidance info. - **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlergang/commonsensemedia-scraper.md - **Developed by:** [Crawler Gang](https://apify.com/crawlergang) (community) - **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Other - **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 11 bookmarks - **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars ## Pricing from $3.00 / 1,000 results This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage. Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have. Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event ## What's an Apify Actor? Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases. In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours, and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store. In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server. Actors are written with capital "A". ## How to integrate an Actor? If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects. You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready. The best way to integrate Actors is as follows. In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md): ```bash npm install apify-client ``` In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md): ```bash pip install apify-client ``` In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): ````bash # MacOS / Linux curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash # Windows irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex ```bash In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md). If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md). For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below. For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt). # README ## Common Sense Media Scraper Scrape Common Sense Media — the leading children's entertainment rating site covering 100,000+ movies, TV shows, games, books, apps, websites, and podcasts. Browse by category, search by title slug, or fetch specific review URLs. Extracts age ratings, editorial star ratings, detailed content ratings (violence, language, sex, drugs), genres, platforms, cast, director, and parent/kid review counts. HTTP-only. No auth, no proxy, no API key required. ### What this actor does - **Three modes:** `byCategory`, `search`, `byUrl` - **Six content types:** movies, TV shows, games, books, apps, websites - **Age & category filters:** filter results by minimum/maximum age rating and content type - **Full content breakdown:** violence, language, sex, drugs, messages, role models, consumerism, diversity ratings (0–5 scale) - **Industry ratings:** MPAA (movies), ESRB (games), TV rating - **Platform data:** platform lists for games and apps - **Parent & kid review counts** - **Empty fields are omitted** — records never contain null values ### Output per review - `title`, `contentType`, `slug` - `ageRating` — recommended minimum age (0–18) - `starRating` — editorial rating (1–5) - `genres[]` - `releaseYear` - `mpaaRating`, `esrbRating`, `tvRating` - `ratingViolence`, `ratingLanguage`, `ratingSex`, `ratingDrugs`, `ratingMessages`, `ratingRoleModels`, `ratingConsumerism`, `ratingDiversity` (all 0–5) - `director`, `cast[]` - `studio` — production company / publisher / developer - `runtime` — runtime in minutes (movies) - `platforms[]` — supported platforms (games/apps) - `reviewText` — editorial review body - `reviewSummary` — short synopsis - `imageUrl` — poster / cover image - `parentReviewCount`, `kidReviewCount` - `isCommonSenseSelection` — Common Sense Seal of approval - `dateReviewed` - `commonSenseUrl` - `scrapedAt` ### Input | Field | Type | Default | Description | |---|---|---|---| | `mode` | string | `byCategory` | `byCategory` / `search` / `byUrl` | | `category` | string | `movie` | Content type: `movie`, `tv`, `game`, `book`, `app`, `website` | | `searchQuery` | string | – | Title to search for (mode=search) | | `reviewUrls` | array | – | Direct CSM review URLs to scrape (mode=byUrl) | | `minAgeRating` | int | – | Only include reviews for age ≥ this value (0–18) | | `maxAgeRating` | int | – | Only include reviews for age ≤ this value (0–18) | | `maxItems` | int | `50` | Hard cap (1–500) | #### Example: Top movie reviews ```json { "mode": "byCategory", "category": "movie", "maxItems": 50 } ```` #### Example: Search for a specific title ```json { "mode": "search", "searchQuery": "minecraft", "category": "game" } ``` #### Example: Fetch specific review URLs ```json { "mode": "byUrl", "reviewUrls": [ "https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/inception", "https://www.commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/minecraft" ] } ``` #### Example: Kid-friendly movies (ages 5–10) ```json { "mode": "byCategory", "category": "movie", "minAgeRating": 5, "maxAgeRating": 10, "maxItems": 100 } ``` ### Content rating scale Each rating detail (violence, language, etc.) is scored 0–5: - **0** — Not present - **1** — Very mild - **2** — Mild - **3** — Moderate - **4** — Heavy - **5** — Extreme ### Use cases - **Parental control tools** — bulk-export age ratings and content warnings for content filtering - **Family media guides** — build curated lists of age-appropriate movies and games - **Educational platforms** — filter books and apps by age range for classroom recommendations - **Content moderation pipelines** — enrich your content catalog with Common Sense Media's editorial ratings - **Recommendation engines** — feed genre, age rating, and content intensity scores into filtering algorithms - **Media research** — analyze trends in age ratings across different content categories over time ### FAQ **Does this require a Common Sense Media account or API key?** No. All data comes from publicly accessible review pages on commonsensemedia.org. **How does the `byCategory` mode discover content?** It walks the public sitemap at `/reviews/sitemap.xml` (11 pages, ~5,000 URLs each) and fetches matching review pages. **What does `mode=search` do exactly?** It constructs a URL from the title slug and checks if a review exists. For example, `searchQuery="minecraft"` tries `commonsensemedia.org/game-reviews/minecraft`. Best results come from exact title slugs. **Why does the age rating not match what I see on the site?** Common Sense Media distinguishes between the "Common Sense Age" (editorial recommendation) and the industry rating (MPAA/ESRB). The `ageRating` field is the editorial age recommendation. **What's a Common Sense Selection?** An award given to titles that set a positive example. The `isCommonSenseSelection` field is `true` for these titles. **Can I scrape TV show episodes?** The actor scrapes show-level reviews (not individual episodes), which is how Common Sense Media organizes its database. **Are all 100,000+ reviews available?** Yes — using `mode=byCategory` with `maxItems=500` repeated across all categories will give you the full dataset. The sitemap contains all indexed reviews. **How fresh is the data?** Common Sense Media editors publish new reviews regularly. Running the actor weekly will capture new additions. **Is the actor free to run?** Yes — it runs on Apify free plan with zero configuration and uses no paid proxy. # Actor input Schema ## `mode` (type: `string`): How to find reviews. ## `searchQuery` (type: `string`): Title to search for (e.g. 'minecraft', 'the lion king'). Used in search mode. ## `category` (type: `string`): Content type to browse (byCategory mode) or filter search results. ## `minAgeRating` (type: `integer`): Only include reviews with age rating >= this value. ## `maxAgeRating` (type: `integer`): Only include reviews with age rating <= this value. ## `reviewUrls` (type: `array`): One or more CommonSenseMedia review page URLs (e.g. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/inception). ## `maxItems` (type: `integer`): Maximum number of reviews to return. ## Actor input object example ```json { "mode": "byCategory", "searchQuery": "minecraft", "category": "movie", "reviewUrls": [], "maxItems": 50 } ``` # Actor output Schema ## `reviews` (type: `string`): Dataset containing all scraped Common Sense Media reviews. # API You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup. ## JavaScript example ```javascript import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client'; // Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token // Replace the '' with your token const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '', }); // Prepare Actor input const input = { "mode": "byCategory", "searchQuery": "minecraft", "category": "movie", "reviewUrls": [], "maxItems": 50 }; // Run the Actor and wait for it to finish const run = await client.actor("crawlergang/commonsensemedia-scraper").call(input); // Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any) console.log('Results from dataset'); console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`); const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems(); items.forEach((item) => { console.dir(item); }); // 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs ``` ## Python example ```python from apify_client import ApifyClient # Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token # Replace '' with your token. client = ApifyClient("") # Prepare the Actor input run_input = { "mode": "byCategory", "searchQuery": "minecraft", "category": "movie", "reviewUrls": [], "maxItems": 50, } # Run the Actor and wait for it to finish run = client.actor("crawlergang/commonsensemedia-scraper").call(run_input=run_input) # Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any) print("💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/" + run["defaultDatasetId"]) for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items(): print(item) # 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start ``` ## CLI example ```bash echo '{ "mode": "byCategory", "searchQuery": "minecraft", "category": "movie", "reviewUrls": [], "maxItems": 50 }' | apify call crawlergang/commonsensemedia-scraper --silent --output-dataset ``` ## MCP server setup ```json { "mcpServers": { "apify": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "mcp-remote", "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=crawlergang/commonsensemedia-scraper", "--header", "Authorization: Bearer " ] } } } ``` ## OpenAPI specification ```json { "openapi": "3.0.1", "info": { "title": "Common Sense Media Scraper", "description": "Scrape CommonSenseMedia.org with search reviews, browse by content type (movies/games/books/apps/TV shows/websites), or fetch specific review pages. Returns age ratings, star ratings, content warnings, genres, cast/crew, and parental guidance info.", "version": "1.0", "x-build-id": "89g3lVEzxRcNOJKIW" }, "servers": [ { "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2" } ], "paths": { "/acts/crawlergang~commonsensemedia-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-crawlergang-commonsensemedia-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } }, "/acts/crawlergang~commonsensemedia-scraper/runs": { "post": { "operationId": "runs-sync-crawlergang-commonsensemedia-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK", "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema" } } } } } } }, "/acts/crawlergang~commonsensemedia-scraper/run-sync": { "post": { "operationId": "run-sync-crawlergang-commonsensemedia-scraper", "x-openai-isConsequential": false, "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.", "tags": [ "Run Actor" ], "requestBody": { "required": true, "content": { "application/json": { "schema": { "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema" } } } }, "parameters": [ { "name": "token", "in": "query", "required": true, "schema": { "type": "string" }, "description": "Enter your Apify token here" } ], "responses": { "200": { "description": "OK" } } } } }, "components": { "schemas": { "inputSchema": { "type": "object", "required": [ "mode" ], "properties": { "mode": { "title": "Mode", "enum": [ "search", "byCategory", "byUrl" ], "type": "string", "description": "How to find reviews.", "default": "byCategory" }, "searchQuery": { "title": "Search Query", "type": "string", "description": "Title to search for (e.g. 'minecraft', 'the lion king'). Used in search mode." }, "category": { "title": "Content Category", "enum": [ "", "movie", "game", "book", "app", "tv", "website" ], "type": "string", "description": "Content type to browse (byCategory mode) or filter search results.", "default": "movie" }, "minAgeRating": { "title": "Minimum Age Rating", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 18, "type": "integer", "description": "Only include reviews with age rating >= this value." }, "maxAgeRating": { "title": "Maximum Age Rating", "minimum": 0, "maximum": 18, "type": "integer", "description": "Only include reviews with age rating <= this value." }, "reviewUrls": { "title": "Review URLs (byUrl mode)", "type": "array", "description": "One or more CommonSenseMedia review page URLs (e.g. https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/inception).", "default": [], "items": { "type": "string" } }, "maxItems": { "title": "Max Items", "minimum": 1, "maximum": 500, "type": "integer", "description": "Maximum number of reviews to return.", "default": 50 } } }, "runsResponseSchema": { "type": "object", "properties": { "data": { "type": "object", "properties": { "id": { "type": "string" }, "actId": { "type": "string" }, "userId": { "type": "string" }, "startedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "finishedAt": { "type": "string", "format": "date-time", "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z" }, "status": { "type": "string", "example": "READY" }, "meta": { "type": "object", "properties": { "origin": { "type": "string", "example": "API" }, "userAgent": { "type": "string" } } }, "stats": { "type": "object", "properties": { "inputBodyLen": { "type": "integer", "example": 2000 }, "rebootCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "restartCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "resurrectCount": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "computeUnits": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "options": { "type": "object", "properties": { "build": { "type": "string", "example": "latest" }, "timeoutSecs": { "type": "integer", "example": 300 }, "memoryMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 1024 }, "diskMbytes": { "type": "integer", "example": 2048 } } }, "buildId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultKeyValueStoreId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultDatasetId": { "type": "string" }, "defaultRequestQueueId": { "type": "string" }, "buildNumber": { "type": "string", "example": "1.0.0" }, "containerUrl": { "type": "string" }, "usage": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 1 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } }, "usageTotalUsd": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "usageUsd": { "type": "object", "properties": { "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATASET_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": { "type": "number", "example": 0.00005 }, "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 }, "PROXY_SERPS": { "type": "integer", "example": 0 } } } } } } } } } } ```