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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Nick's online community uses safety measures.

updated 09.02.09

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    The site offers a way to communicate and network with friends. Some of the games require a sense of timing.
  • User-created content:

    Not an issue.
  • Messages:

    The message is upbeat and positive. The site promotes good digital citizenship by actively reminding kids about good behavior.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    NickPoints (gained by exploring the site and playing games) are used to buy virtual things on the site. There's an online store, but not for real merchandise. Plus, there's lots of marketing for Nickelodeon shows, and links to Nick.com, which has ads.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

How safe is it?

  • Personal privacy:

    The site makes a point of saying that users are completely anonymous and that there's no way to determine someone's identity.
  • Online interaction:

    The online interactions seem positive. The site offers lots of reminders to kids about how to communicate politely.
  • Parental controls:

    Parents can create a parental account attached to their child's which allows you to monitor and change your child's interaction options.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Nicktropolis

Parents need to know that Nickelodeon has built a safe, if boring and simple, virtual community for kids to hang out in -- equipped with games, animations, and chat rooms. Its creators have gone to great lengths to form a community that'll be restrictive enough (with limitations on words and personal information that can be used in chat rooms) that parents can feel good about letting their kids surf around unsupervised. The site has minimal banner ads, but kids can easily click over to Nickelodeon's home page and be exposed to ads and loads of promotional gunk.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about online safety and what's appropriate to share on a Web site. What kind of information should you always keep private? You can also discuss how to apply the social skills you learned in the virtual world to life offline. How would you approach a new friend in the real world?

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Our Members Say

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  • What did you think about Nicktropolis?
  •  I think this Web site is

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See all 68 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title on for age 11 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate sexual content
    • Negative message

    It's Better for pre-teens and teens

    I've been on Nicktropolis since I was 8. And when I was on once at a dance room somebody asked me to go out. So I was young and I didn't like the feeling and said no and then I left and he kept following me around so finally I said yes. So now I'm 11 and its happened a lot of times so I just ignore them and so I think is

  2. Kid Reviewer Age 9
    I rate this title on for age 6 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    Nick's World

    IT IS AWSOME!!!!

  3. Kid Reviewer Age 8
    I rate this title on for age 8 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 15
    I rate this title iffy for age 2 and give it 3.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational

    just a message

    i just dont know what to say about it i dont know what 2 do on here

  5. Kid Reviewer Age 12
    I rate this title iffy for age 11 and give it 4.0

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