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Panfu (http://www.panfu.com)

common sense media says

Fluffy virtual world pushes membership buy.

parents & educators say
See all 8 reviews | Review it

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that PANFU, not to be confused with the very similar looking Pandanda, is yet another virtual world for kids that is mostly eye-candy. It does include some fun elements, most of which require paying for the Gold Panda membership ($9.90/mo or $7.90/mo for three months) to access. Site creators list intended ages as four to 14 and six to 14, depending upon where you look on the site. Either way, if your child can't read, this site will be frustrating and older kids might find the site a bit lackluster. Chatting is mostly safe with pre-scripted and filtered chat, though exchanges tend to be superficial.

Educational value: If you pay for the gold membership, you gain access to additional learning games in math, geography, and Spanish.
Positive messages: Unike some other more pointless virtual worlds, solving missions on Panfu provides some purpose to wandering through this virtual world. Still, there's a lot of mindless chat, mostly too-simple games, and lots of just wandering around here. Players earn coins to buy clothes and furniture for their avatar. Positive messages around Internet safety are frequent.
Violence: There's a lot of talk about evil characters wiping out Panfu land unless players "save" the land. "All of Panfu is in danger!" Potentially too threatening for some younger players.
Sex: Some romantic talk between players "I need a girlfriend" or  "Will you be my gf?"  
Language: There are pre-scripted messages and also open but filtered abilities to chat. If a player uses words or phrases that slip through the filter, other players can click on a "red face" to ignore the offending panda and it will no long appear on your screen. There are also reporting methods for more serious rule violations.
Consumerism: Constant reminders to buy the "Gold Version" and become a "Gold Panda." Many parts of the game are restricted if you don't buy the gold membership, and players are reminded every time they enter another area that they cannot play without the gold membership. Also, without the gold membership, ads for everything from Tyson chicken to computers and travel are bannered up and down the sides of the screen. With the membership, the site is ad-free.
Drinking, drugs, & smoking: Not applicable.
Privacy & safety: Players are reminded multiple times not to share personal information and are given clear examples of what that includes. The profiles for each panda are essentially pre-scripted and include general information.   A parent's email must be provided to sign up for an account and they receive the child's username and password (though this step is easy to avoid by entering a kid's personal email). Parents may also sign up for an e-newsletter to keep up with what's going on in the Panfu world.
Our ratings and reviews are informed by child development guidelines. Learn more.

More on Panfu

What to talk about

Talk to your kids

  • Families can talk about how seeing a commercial on TV or on a website makes it seem like you just have to have whatever it is they're selling to you. Read Common Sense Media's Selling to Kids parent tips.

  • Talk about virtual world "friends." What does it really mean to be a friend? What is meaningful chat? Is it appropriate to ask someone on a virtual world to be your girlfriend or boyfriend? Read Common Sense Media's Online Worlds for Young Kids primer.

Is it any good?

Is it any good?
 

The cute pandas on their missions in this generally safe virtual world might capture the attention of kids who are good readers and enjoy online virtual world play. A nice touch is the welcome crew and the various characters (not actual players) who visit you throughout your time on the site to explain how to play in this world. Pandas can chat, dress up, and play several minigames, like a balloon-popping game with some physics concepts. Panfu is heavily promoted with TV ads on children's networks, but it may not live up to the expectations of some younger viewers who beg their parents to visit the site, especially those who cannot read well. Buying a Gold Panda membership is heavily promoted here on almost every area of this game. Ads for many products appear on the free version.   

Online interaction: Most of the online interaction observed here is typical of other kids' virtual world sites. "What are you doing?" "Do you want to stay here?" "Are you mad at me?" "I want a boyfriend." Younger kids may have a hard time understanding when a chat is rejected.

This review was written by Dana Villamagna
 
 

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Most useful reviews by all members

animefreak00
kid, 11 years old
11
 
lots of sex,considering it's a kid's site
people are constantly asking you to be their girlfried or boyfriend,and i saw someone say the word "b##b" (it didden't slip past the word censorship.)though this site is meant for kids,i woulden't let kids play it
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lilsister1212
kid, 11 years old
5
 
I just don't like the "sexual" chatting. :p
Well, like I said in the Poptropica* review, my grandma finds websites like Poptropica on Google*, and she found Panfu. I don't really like Panfu, because of the "sexual" chatting. People say the moderators make sure nobody can write bad stuff. But, some clever people can get past the chat filter. ALOT of people write things like "I NEED A BF!!" etc. And one time I went to this person's treehouse and this one person was standing and the other person turning around, and I asked them what they were doing, and one of them said "KISSING!". I got off RIGHT away. So, I would think other than that, Panfu* is pretty fun. You get to play fun games, add friends, and LOTS more! I just think the creator or moderators of Panfu should fix the chatting problem. That was the SAME thing I heard when I was on Fantage*. "I NEED A BF!!!! PLZZ!" etc. But, if you want a REALLY fun game, go to Poptropica*. Creator: Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Kid books and movies, and it's VERY safe. :)
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wingsofafairy
parent of 5 and 7 year old
6
 
Not for younger children
My 7 year old used this website for a bit, until I realized the chat messages were perverse and inappropriate for her. I immediately canceled her membership. Chat does not seem to be moderated as the site claims.
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allison386
kid, 10 years old
2
 
NOT FOR AGES 2-10!!!!
bad site. unfair.
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BookWormGirl123
kid, 10 years old
8
 
FALIURE!
WORST SITE EVER
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ann2
parent of 10 year old
9
 
Do not recommend, not a good experience for my family.
Problems in general. I didn't want recurring membership and that was tricky to arrange, plus my dauigher's pandas got deleted after the month. When I complained there wasn't a lot of response and no help in what they sent. At least they answered, the first complaints I sent were not. Lots of bad language which I needed to explain, and moderators would issue warnings without checking meaning, such as when she would say "yahooooooo!" in an exclamation of joy. Plus, at 9.99 USD / mo, very pricey.
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plopmoon
kid, 10 years old
9
 
I HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE PANFU
i HATE panfu! you know why? cuz they REPORT you and then they say BAD WORDS! panfu DELETED me for nothing what is that supposed to mean! you have to DELETE panfu!!!!!!!!! pls i BEG YOU (echo...... )
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popking565
kid, 11 years old
10
 
Ooo Mom look thats a fun website! Ok ill be your boyfriend! Lets kiss! :(
I give panfu two and a quarter stars because of the moderators. Now people on here are saying be my bf and gf when this is supposed to be for KIDS not single adults. You want a site where you can kiss and flirt go on make a dating website not a virtual world filled with cute pandas and SEX TALK. Some games are educational teaching math but the text chat which is "filtered" is terrible. ClubPenguin is way bettr with this because people get away with really innapropriate thing like sex talk and for some reason I say baaaannnnnaaaannnnnaaaassss and i get blocked for thirty seconds. Pandas can't use violent actions of course but I wouldn't be this girls bf and she said 'punches and slaps' and one fight had gruesome words and violence breaking backs and everything and i said "Yeah, your watchin!" Its a no!
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