love i of course
Friendster
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Social networking with 33 million "friends."
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 16–18
The good stuff
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Educational value:
What to watch out for
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Violence:
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Sex:
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Language:
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Consumerism:
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Drinking, drugs, & smoking:
What Parents Need to Know
This review of Friendster was written by Jean Armour Polly
Parents need to know that this site isn't for kids and that members have to be 16 and up. There's a nod to privacy in that users can choose to have their last names hidden and allow only friends to view their profiles and blogs. Unfortunately, the site's settings don't default to the strongest, most private settings when a new member joins. Users have to find the right place to change their privacy settings to make themselves safer. Also, several site features require different memberships in other sites, adding additional layers to privacy and safety concerns.
Families Can Talk About
Talk to your kids about the media in their life. We have more tools and tips that can help
- Families can talk about safety when using social networking sites -- they aren't just used for singles and dating, but can also be a way to find other people interested in a particular hobby or pastime. What are the benefits of discussing your hobby online? What should you watch out for?
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More on Friendster
What’s the Story?
FRIENDSTER is a social networking site that anyone 16 and over can join to make "friends" among the other 33 million members. Once you're a member you can add information about yourself that will help other people find you: your favorite interests, music, movies, and books, for example. When you sign up, you're asked if you're "single, in a relationship, have a domestic partner, married, or 'it's complicated.'" If you click to add "optional information," you can specify that you're interested in dating men, dating women, just finding friends, seeking activity partners, or just looking around. New members can invite friends that they already know to join Friendster as well. They'll appear in your personal page as your "friends," and other people will be able to click on their pictures and explore your friends' networks after they learn about you.
Is It Any Good?
Some of the offerings in Friendster are actually from their partners. For example, if you click on "Music" you'll be transported to Pandora, a site that creates a custom music playlist for you. Similarly, "Love" takes you to partner site True, where you might be able to find compatible people in your area, but you most definitely will see provocative ads. Friendster members write about all sorts of things, including this entry: "Daph, I kissed 2 girls and 4 guys, slept with 3 of those guys all in one night. Am I a slut?" Users can also upload their photos into a gallery and can choose to have others rate the pictures and make comments on them. One gallery showed a photo of a little girl being given a beer by an older male.
Friendster does offer some privacy settings that will keep your last name a secret and hide your profile and more personal information from anyone but your friends. Another level of privacy you might consider is to limit viewing to friends and second level "friends of your friends." Members are cautioned in the terms and conditions that their profiles may be indexed by Google and other search engines. This may be more exposure than an individual member wants, so strict attention to the privacy settings options should be the rule.
Our Members Say
See 31 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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Kids ages: 7
I rate this title on for age 14 and give it- My highlights are:
- Safety isn't an issue
- User content is age appropriate
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
i think its fucken sick lol ha ha ha
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- My highlights are:
love it because friendster if you like see your friend/ you see!.
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- My highlights are:
what is friendster is all about
love it because friendster if you like see your friend/ you see!.
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
- My concerns are:
- My highlights are:
what is friendster is all about
love it because friendster if you like see your friend/ you see!.
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Ratings at a Glance
| 42% | of parents say it gives kids positive messages |
| 42% | of parents feel the site is not safe |
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