Its great!
Teen Second Life
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Is it age appropriate?
About our ratings -
Is it any good?
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Common Sense says
Creative virtual world has minimal mature content.
Why We Rated This 
for Ages 15–18
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 Teen Second Life was written by Amber Keyser
Parents need to know that the teen part of Second Life is a creative virtual community for kids (13-17) to meet up with other teens to just hang out or to pursue their interests. But, as with any site where teens are in control of content, occasionally some sexual material and explicit language will slip through. And, a few games can be violent. That said, there are also cool, educational activities that aren't nerdy. It's up to users to chart their course. The site does monitor content around the clock, but self-policing is part of the site's structure. If teens find inappropriate material or experience harassment they can report abuse, and staff quickly deal with the problem. The site also makes it very clear that if you lie about your age (adults posing as a teen) to sign up for Teen Second Life, your information could be turned over to the police. The site has one free level but several paid ones, and the site's currency, Linden Dollars, can be bought with U.S. dollars or earned by selling created items. And earned Linden Dollars can be exchanged for U.S. dollars. Note: Unlike the teen site, the "adult" Second Life (secondlife.com) is rife with mature content.
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 what virtual communities are. What appeals to kids about using an avatar rather than a true identity? Families can also discuss consumerism in virtual worlds. What are users really getting by buying pretend stuff in this pseudo-world?
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More on Teen Second Life
What’s the Story?
After opening an account (free or for a fee) and creating a 3-D avatar (choose eye color, bust size, etc.), you can talk with others in private conversations (via instant messaging) or with all avatars in earshot (via chat). Avatars can shop, learn computer programming skills (although the building tools are hard), join multi-user games, and even run businesses. They can also attend events like concerts and meet up with groups of people with common interests. Want to write sci-fi? Share manuscripts with other writers. Want to learn something? Interact with teachers and students in a classroom setting. Residents can also buy, sell, and develop virtual land.
Is It Any Good?
The draw of this virtual community is socializing with different people in an environment with few restrictions. And although parents might worry about trusting their teens on a site with a virtual honor system, Teen Second Life offers young users a unique opportunity to flex their creative muscles. But the teen site has sporadic traffic -- virtual lands may be empty -- and the effort required to connect with others may be off-putting.
Our Members Say
See 20 member reviews
Most Recent Reviews
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I rate this title on for age 15 and give it
- My highlights are:
- User content is age appropriate
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I rate this title iffy for age 13 and give it
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
It's great
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I rate this title on for age 10 and give it
- My concerns are:
- My highlights are:
- Safety isn't an issue
I think that second life is for !0+, not older kids
bjl
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
it okay
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
hazel
wats up
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I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- My highlights are:
hazel
wats up
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Safety is an issue
- User content isn't age appropriate
;(
WHOA! def.not for kids. alot of language and drinks. you can get fully undressed and club dance. so unappropriate
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Kids ages: 11, 11
I rate this title on for age 11 and give it- My concerns are:
- User content isn't age appropriate
- My highlights are:
- Safety isn't an issue
love it
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Excessive consumerism
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Safety is an issue
- User content isn't age appropriate
No one should play this, stricly M rated!
Absolutely terrible! Bigamy, polygamy! TERRIBLE! If I ever had children I would allow them to play this but I would SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY, SERIOUSLY, TRY TO KEEP THEM SAFE! TERRIBLE!
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I rate this title off for age 13 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Excessive violence
- Inappropriate sexual content
- Inappropriate language
- Drinking, smoking, or drug use
- Safety is an issue
- User content isn't age appropriate
I have nothing to say.
Very old virtual world. It has the adult grid and the teen grid. Maybe.. inappropriate?
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I rate this title on for age 14 and give it
- My concerns are:
- Inappropriate language
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- Safety isn't an issue
- User content is age appropriate
A good hobby, but slightly addictive.
I was a TSL user while in high school. Overall I enjoyed the experience. I learned things I now use on normal SecondLife grid. Users can learn to build with basic 3D shapes called "prims" (primitives), script them to make them move, talk, etc, texture them and other things. I would definitely keep an eye on what your child is doing and get them to show you where they hang out and who their friends are in world. LindenLabs (the games creator) has recently cracked down on people who lie about their age, threatening child predators on both grids with legal action. My old concern is that SL tends to be fairly addictive in the beginning, so you may want to monitor how much time your child is spending in the game. Gameplay is free, and there are no subscription fees, but high qaulity objects, clothes and attachments for the avatars do cost money (Just for some perspective, L$150= about $1, and an average piece of clothing costs L$200-500, one hairstyle is L$500-700, which do not expire in most cases.) If your child is interested in computer programming or game design, this game has the potential to be very educational, and also encourage teamwork, since many users specialize in one building skill.
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I rate this title on for age 13 and give it
- My highlights are:
- Educational
- User content is age appropriate
Fun to play!
I love to play this in my spare time, you can create practically anything you want, and you can buy or sell anything! Yes, there is language from others, and sometimes sexually suggestive content, but nothing anyone over 13 couldn't handle, you will probably hear and see worse in school anyways. This also teaches you how to manage money, as you can buy "Linden Dollars" to spend in the virtual world, but you also have to make sure you aren't spending too much. Those who learn how to create objects or script, can set up their own shops to make REAL money from the things they sell! (That is, if what they sell is popular enough!).
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I rate this title on for age 9 and give it
Not a problem at all
I am 11 and I have an avatar on this game. Obviously on this idiotic site i'll get banned if I say who. Don't even bother asking, the answer will be a grieved avatar. (I own the Phenom). This game is absolutely fine. Any sexual content is against the rules in pg areas and banned permanently when found there. Violence: Let us deal with it. It is our life, and we should decide it. This whole site's theme is to run an cyber - conspiracy for their kids. The kids hate it then put it onto their kids when they weren't even harmed.
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I rate this title on for age 17 and give it
Secondlife
I play secondlife (adult version). In game I am AbbeyDawn Wonder. I really love SL very much. Abbey is a creator & owns a store. SL does have many sexual things to it. Which none i associate with. other than that its great
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I rate this title iffy for age 15 and give it
useful
this was helpful... sounds very self-regulating, consistent with the values they claim... i'd be uncomfortable with mine on there without me for a bit til i get the feel for what it's really like...
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I rate this title on for age 16 and give it
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I rate this title iffy and give it
Not an issue
Teen Second Life can be mature. In the regular Second Life, even moreso. But it doesn't have to be. When you're searching for a place to go on Second Life, there are some places that are classified as "PG" and some that are "Mature". You can filter out the "Mature" places. So Second Life can be fun and safe if you're smart about it.
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I rate this title iffy and give it
come it is kinda cool
I have seen my sis that is 14 play it and it is really cool! u can talk to people and just have a fun time!
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Ratings at a Glance
| 29% | of parents feel users contributed great content |
| 29% | of parents feel the site is safe |
| 29% | of parents say it's educational |
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