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Pandanda (http://www.pandanda.com)

common sense media says

Formulaic but safe online world stresses good behavior.

parents & educators say
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What parents need to know

Parents need to know that this run-of-the-mill kids' virtual world and game site is fine for a cute, safe site for grade schoolers to play around on and chat a bit. But once the beta period ends, all players' points and items they've earned and purchased will be wiped out -- and all will be encouraged to join at an "elite" membership for a yet-to-be-determined monthly fee. There's nothing innovative, educational or creative enough to warrant paying for access to this site.The site says kids can start fresh and not join at a premium rate if they want to continue to play for free, which may be the best bet.

Educational value: The site touts money management and reading as two educational draws. But there's very little substantive educational components here. It's more about the fun of dressing up and building a home for the little panda, wandering about the virtual world, and playing games.
Positive messages: Some examples of positive messages this site imparts: Reminders early on in the registration process about Internet safety, a regularly updated blog that encourages kids to notice what's new on the site, and games that include searching to find hidden objects.  
Violence: Not applicable.
Sex: Even though the avatar used in this virtual world is a cute little red panda, some of the clothes that he/she can buy and wear are not typical kid-style clothes.
Language: There's a safe chat mode that allows for only pre-scripted text or a standard filter chat, which is a site filter that reportedly filters out bad words. That said, a number of users on this site speak languages other than English, so whether it filters out bad language in other languages remains in question.
Consumerism: Along with the typical kids' virtual world stuff  ("Earn coins then shop in the make believe store"), there's a link to a third-party site that sells real-life Pandanda merchandise.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: None observed.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Pandanda

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

Families can talk about what it means to "make friends" on a virtual world site like this vs. real life friends. How does your child feel when someone accepts or denies a friend request? Should she take it personally? What kind of things should she say and not say to a virtual world "friend?" Check out Common Sense Media's Online Worlds for Young Kids Tips for more ideas.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

PANDANDA bills itself as a safe virtual world for kids at 6-14, but older kids won't find much here to keep their interest. For younger kids, there's some fun, basic games (for instance, a Connect Four-style game and some other arcade-style stuff) and, of course, the typical kids virtual world activities like dressing up a cute little avatar (in this case a red panda), decorating a house (in this case a treehouse) for it, and wandering around a world interacting with other avatars with conversations like "Hi" and "I can't find my friends," and "How'd You Get up There?"  In other words, it appears harmless but don't expect too much.

Online interaction: Helpful reminders about safe online interaction during the registration process (such as "keep chat safe and respectful," "never reveal personal info."), safe chat modes, periodic review of chat logs and a general sense of positive, controlled interaction for younger kids makes this site a generally positive spot. On the downside, younger children may have a hard time understanding if their chat requests are rejected.

This review was written by Dana Villamagna
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members


kid, 12 years old
13
 
how did you say p h u k e t
when you get banned or not, i accedently say d*mn and ass and got banned NOT FOR 15 OR YOUNGER the bad words should not be used
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helped me decide (8) | had useful details (8) | read my mind (9)

teen, 14 years old
13
 
how did you say p h u k e t
when you get banned or not, i accedently say d*mn and ass and got banned NOT FOR 15 OR YOUNGER the bad words should not be used
Flag as inappropriate 
was this review useful?
helped me decide (8) | had useful details (8) | read my mind (9)

kid, 11 years old
13
 
how did you say p h u k e t
when you get banned or not, i accedently say d*mn and ass and got banned NOT FOR 15 OR YOUNGER the bad words should not be used
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helped me decide (8) | had useful details (8) | read my mind (9)
Joeyjo102
kid, 11 years old
6
 
for babies, but the cheating is fun for EVERYONE
worst game in history of games but!! u can swear!! HA HA!!
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lkjhb1
teen, 14 years old
5
 
there is going to be a membership soon
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helped me decide (6) | had useful details (8) | read my mind (8)
ffcffcffc
kid, 7 years old
7
 
good
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helped me decide (7) | had useful details (6) | read my mind (7)
MistyPanda
kid, 12 years old
11
 
Pandanda is good in some ways, bad in other ways.
pandanda is a great game. I play it all the time. (That's why my username is MistyPanda!) It's fun with lots of glitches where you can walk on walls.and doors. There are problems with pandanda though. People have found ways to get through the chat filter and say bad words. And the report form doesn't really work and I have seen a moderator get REALLY angry and mean to a person and ban them. And there is a 'popular group' of elite members. They are okay if you are a member and dont get in their way, but they hate people on safe chat mode. Hacking is also a huge problem. I have had my account hacked a few times. Just tell your kids to stay away from lolacool, crazykaite32, and anyone who has rocky at the start of their name. Pandanda is amazing if you start with a little bit of experience of games like this. They don't pressure you into membership and I must say I like their clothes for sale. They aren't boring plain stuff, it's more like jackets, plaid skirts, hair in pigtails, jeans... I would suggest pandanda to anyone looking for a really good social game for if your kid is older than 7.
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tori9349
teen, 14 years old
8
 
Pretty Good Game!
I love this game! It is really easy to get the hang of. I recommend you try it out! The only issue is that most things don't get past filters. People use their own "code language" to say what they want.
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gogui
kid, 12 years old
16
 
pq eu achei legal
pandanda e legal
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