 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
PlanetCazmo
Common Sense Media says
Virtual world has filtered & safe chat; ads soon.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that this site is still in beta and offers a safe chat feature as well as open chat; the open chat is monitored, and obvious inappropriate language gets filtered out. Parental permission isn't required for registration -- users under 18 are simply urged to have their parents read the site's terms and conditions. And, although kids are discouraged from providing personally identifiable information, there's nothing preventing them from doing this (though the info would probably be removed as soon as a monitor sees it). And, younger kids may not understand what's happening when other members ignore them, taunt them, walk away from them, or do other hurtful actions. Consequently, some tweens and younger teens may require supervision while using this site, unless you're sure they're using the safe chat feature -- which happens in all virtual worlds. In addition, the site's creators plan to introduce product ads as an integral part of the user experience.
What's it about?
Aimed at tweens and teens, PLANETCAZMO.COM is a virtual world where users can explore a fun, quirky community through a unique character they create. After the free registration process, new members get to choose a head shape, eye shape, hairstyle, skin color and more for their avatar (the character that represents them); once their character is created, they can stroll through the Cazmo community and visit places such as Club Cazmo, a skate shop, a mall, a theater, a garage, and a general store. Members can set up and play a song list (choosing from the site's repertoire), decorate their virtual house, play games, and chat with other members (via safe or open chat). The site is still in the beta testing stage -- apparently, many more features will be offered when the completed site launches, such as profiles and uploading content, plus more stores, more games and activities, and more choices of features for avatars.
Is it any good?
Assuming any improvements on the beta version of the site will make it a more lively community (it's hard to get a sense of that when you can't enter all the buildings or participate in very many activities yet), kids will probably find this a fun place to hang out, but older teens may find it a bit boring. The open chat feature and impending features such as the ability to upload content makes the Internet safety aspect questionable, though, and parents should definitely talk about how to be safe and responsible when chatting and interacting with others. Also, the site's creators have clearly stated that they intend to let advertisers use PlanetCazmo.com as a venue for hawking their products to young consumers; this aspect downgrades the site's value considerably, especially given the fact that it has no real educational value.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Internet safety. Participating in a virtual world can be fun, but certain rules need to be followed -- do you know what they are? What would you do if you saw someone breaking those rules? What information is OK to tell someone online? What should be kept private?
- Show:
- All members
- Parents
- Teens & kids
AGE
Note from a Gold Circle Planet Cazmo Ambassador:
Hello, I am one of the Ambassadors on Planet Cazmo. As of this past December, we have seen a decrease in how often the Moderators respond to our messages or emails to a point now where they will not respond to the top Ambassadors on even the most serious of issues. The other top Ambassadors and I are trying our best to ensure the safety and security of users of all ages within Planet Cazmo but please understand that we have no access to the chat within the in game phones and that is why as of January 2011 Planet Cazmo has restricted usage to only those users that are 13 and older. Also, as of that same month, users are unable to say numbers and ths list of blocked words increased however users still find a way around it or think the Ambassadors dont know what they are talking about when they use terms from urban dictionary or other sources to avoit the chat filter. The top Ambassadors have limmited Administrative abilities within the game, allowing a select few (including myself) can temporarily remove users from the game but they are able to log back on within a few seconds (no comment from Planet Cazmo yet). Over this summer we expect to see the Moderators to return as they are needed for the spike in usage over the summer vacation. We are trying our best but it is up to the parents to be aware of what their children are doing and saying within the game. Please have them respect the Ambassadors, as we know what we are doing and recieve very little respect from most users for the ammount of harassment I recieve as a top Ambassador with limmited Administrative abilities. The Ambassadors are all volunteers, none of us are paid for our service to Planet Cazmo and our assistance in ensuring the user's safety is done on our own in the intrest of protecting the users in the game. Also, please have your children read the terms and conditions of use as the rules we enforce come from there, not just the three main rules. Thank you for reading.
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AGE
Very cool!
I heard about it and I made account on it is fun the open chat is more for 9 and up I would say because u can say like annything u want. I don't no about the other one but it is a great chat web stite people are very nice on there. sign up today!
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AGE
awesom
best every just kidding but a good site
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AGE
Closely monitored...
I don't know all that much about the website itself, but my 7 year old son likes to 'meet up' with his friends online. Last night, he came to me and said that something was wrong with the computer because he couldn't log into his account. When I checked it, the account said that he had been banned for inappropriate behavior. I was shocked - what could he possibly have done??? He'd only had the account activated for about a day! I used the 'contact us' feature on the website and asked them to let me know what had happened. Within a few hours I had a detailed explanation of what he said/did to warrant the 'ban'. It's nice to know that there is acutally someone monitoring what is being said/done in order to make sure that our children are protected. It stinks that my son was the child acting inappropriatley, but it opened my eyes to the fact that he clearly needs a lesson in proper internet behavior. A+ to PlanetCazmo for truly paying attention!
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AGE
i play on it twice or more every two days
The only thing is that there is dating
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AGE
what i think of planet cozmo
i think this is a very good website
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AGE
good for 7 year olds and over
im only 7 my mom's gave me permition to use it i think its o for kids age of 7 and over cus me and my friends cus and noone cares
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AGE
Fun
I haven't really tried to "test out" how they moderate innapropriate comments and messages, but I did get mad at somebody and I told them that they sucked donley b*lls, and a pop-up came up and told me that they do not allow the word "ba*ls". They said it was a warning. I am pretty sure that they would not catch some modern-day slang words meaning innapropriate things. Planet Cazmo members can easily give out their adress, since numbers are allowed, which is totally unsafe. You need to totally know and trust your kid to let them play this fun, and addicting, yet dangerous game.
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| Genre: | Virtual Worlds |
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