IMHO,So its a no go for us but I have assisted the possibility for an official integration. I just hope Plex developers are interested.
Ok, got a final response from commonsensemedia.
I have been talking to the Business Development Manager and after clarifying with him that I do not represent Plex and suggesting he make contact with the official developers to test the waters if that suits their business model better than dealing with 3rd partys his final response was:
"Unfortunately there’s no “rate-card” as we’re a non-profit and most of our business deals are fairly large in scale as a result. I think the better approach would be as you suggest – to contact Plex directly to see if there’s a partnership there – which I’ll do."
So its a no go for us but I have assisted the possibility for an official integration. I just hope Plex developers are interested.
Sorry, been on holiday. I asked for costs associated with use of the API.
@tarkhisis said:
Sorry, been on holiday. I asked for costs associated with use of the API.
Any reply yet?
Jaap
I would love to see this. I have young kids and the MPAA ratings definitely aren’t sufficient to determine if my kids can watch a movie. I’d love to have this for easier control over what they can see in Plex.
Hi Jaap,
I wrote my last comment in response to Cayars asking me what I had originally requested, there is no further communication between me & Common Sense Media since their response I quoted on 21 May.
Having young kids at home I am always checking older movies on common sense media and manually adjusting the ratings of movies made in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s that do not hold to today’s standards. It would be nice if common sense media’s ratings were built into PLEX.
I would like give another upvote for Common Sense Media (“Parents say” and “Kids say”), together with links to the Common Sense Media review. I’d be happy to see this gated for people how have Common Sense Media Plus (as I do).
I wrote a script to do this for my server. I’m not much of a programmer, but this script is working for me. It adds all the common sense media parental information to the movie summary (ie. violence, nudity, diverse representation). And it can automatically add labels based on the common sense media recommendations (ie. 7+, 8+ etc).
Then. If you store the user’s birthday in the settings.py, it will automatically approve age_appropriate content.
I hope it’s as useful for others as it is for me. Thanks
I’m throwing my vote behind this simply because a more automated solution is desperately needed.
That said, it would be quite simple to allow whole libraries to be shared without restrictions, and/or to make it optional to apply restriction files to certain libraries. Perhaps a checkbox to “ignore restriction profiles on this library” or something similar.
For instance, I want my kids to be allowed to watch anything in “Kids Movies” and “Kids TV”, but not everything in “Movies” or “TV”. When I apply a restriction profile, it restricts objects in the kid libraries for no apparent reason, even items that fall within the acceptable ratings. If i do the old fashioned way of applying tags, I forget to apply tags and then I’m away from the computer and my kids can’t access content. It’s a constant battle to update everything.
Surely there’s an easier way to manage this…
FYI to anyone still looking for these ratings, this can be done through Plex Meta Manager now, though I realize this request is for a native feature.
Just to be clear you not are suggesting they replace current age ratings but implement it as an additional option?
I’m only asking you to clarify because the BBFC is a legal requirement and for Plex this is a multi-national legal nightmare and you don’t want to some suit to close off your suggestion lol
Just linking this to the recent blog post which announced this for later in 2025.
Can you tell me more about the new Common Sense Media features?
This is a feature we are super excited to bring to our users. Starting later this year (expected fall of 2025), we’ll be offering ratings and additional context from Common Sense Media on movies and TV shows, which will allow parents on our platform to find the best, most age-appropriate content for their kids. Common Sense Media rates titles for ages 2 to 18, from Elmo to Game of Thrones. They aim to inform, educate, and guide families so they better understand what kids can handle at every age.
Common Sense Media rates movies and TV shows so families can feel good about the entertainment choices they make for their kids, offering the most extensive, most trusted library of independent age-based ratings and reviews. When parents head to Plex, they can rest assured that they can make good choices on shows that their family is watching.
Here’s more on how they rate and review—all of which you’ll soon find on Plex:
How We Rate and Review | Common Sense Media
Hope no one was holding their breath waiting for this. Maybe we’ll get sharing labels on libraries in another 10 years.
How’s this related to the feature suggestion at hand?
I can definitely see the appeal of integrating Common Sense Media ratings into Plex—especially for families trying to make age-appropriate content decisions. That said, I’d like to offer a perspective that I think is important to consider.
As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I’ve seen how tools like this—while well-intentioned—can sometimes be used not just to filter for age-appropriateness, but to block out the existence of diverse identities and experiences entirely. Common Sense Media does flag LGBTQ+ characters and themes, which can be helpful for visibility, but it also means the information can be misused by those who want to shield their families from stories that reflect queer lives.
My concern is that if Plex were to adopt a rating system like this, even with good intentions, it could enable some users to filter out content based on personal or cultural biases, not just age relevance. Media should be a bridge to understanding—not a wall. Stories are how we teach empathy, explore identity, and better understand the world beyond our immediate experiences.
I think it’s worth considering how to build tools that empower thoughtful choices without unintentionally reinforcing exclusion or prejudice. Is there a way we could strike that balance?
So, different people different choices. It’s called diversity and freedom of choice.
Give people information and let them choose. Stop trying to control them.
If people don’t want to see whites in movies or Christian themes, then let them make that choice too.
Please tell me where someone said that people weren’t allowed to choose.
Are u kidding?
You said this:
You are concerned that Plex could establish a system which enables some to do this or that within their family…
We are talking about the media that they willingly and intentionally share with them.
a. It’s their lives and their family - it’s not of ur business
b. It’s their media. Not ur business.
c. If they want to shield their family from seeing certain topics, then they would probably not offer media containing these topics. And if they live a private queer life but decide to not share it with their family? Why not enable them to do this?
Last but not least… “pizza in spaghetti westerns” is what I want to shield my family from. Can that system do this?
It seems you are reading things that aren’t there.
Check yourself.
