It has reviews of books, films, television shows, video games, apps, websites, podcasts, and YouTube channels and rates them in terms of age-appropriate educational content, such as "positive role models", "positive messages", diverse representation, "violence and scariness", "sexual content", "language", "consumerism" and more, for families and caregivers making media choices for their children.

In an interview with The New York Times, Steyer said he intended to "create a huge constituency for parents and children in the same way that Mothers Against Drunk Driving or the AARP has done."

The polling firm, Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates, said that "only one out of five interviewed 'fully trusted' the separate industry-controlled ratings systems for music, movies, video games and television.

"[1] In August 2020, CSM announced the formation of a for-profit subsidiary, Common Sense Networks, to create and distribute original media targeted at children.

[9] In January 2024, the first annual Common Sense Summit on America’s Kids and Families was held, featuring speakers such as Vivek Murthy, Hillary Clinton, and Sam Altman.

[10] Common Sense Media reviews thousands of movies, TV shows, music, video games, apps, web sites and books.

[14] CSM partners with a number of media companies that distribute the organization's free content to more than 100 million homes in the United States.

[17] Common Sense Media has played a role in influencing billions of dollars in government spending on education-related technologies including classroom broadband access and various learning apps.

According to The Wall Street Journal, the group also wanted websites to feature an "eraser button" that would allow children and teens to delete information that they've posted online about themselves.

[25] Founder Jim Steyer launched the Future of Tech Commission with former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings.

[26] Common Sense Media played a major role in the passage of the 2005 California law criminalizing the sale of violent video games to minors.

[28] On August 12, 2006, CSM protested to the Federal Trade Commission about the ESRB's rating downgrade of a revised version of Manhunt 2 from "Adults Only" to "Mature".

The paper states more than half of boys as young as 6 to 8 think their ideal weight is thinner than their current size and that children with parents who are dissatisfied with their bodies are more likely to feel that way about their own.

[38][39] In June 2024, Common Sense Media endorsed the SAFE For Kids Act, which is a New York law that bans "addictive" feeds for minors under the age of 18 without parental consent.

[40][41] In September 2017, CSM released a study which it developed in collaboration with the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism focused on families in both Japan and America and technology use.