• Is it age appropriate?

  About our ratings

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  Not age appropriate for kids under 0, age appropriate for kids over 5; suggested age 6.

• Is it any good?

  4.0

• Common Sense says

  Log in with plush toy ID; safely chat, play games.

Why We Rated This for Ages 6 and Up

The good stuff

• Educational value:

  The games are educational and offer a smidgin of information about constellations that introduce kids to the concept of the universe. Kids get to name a star and receive its exact coordinates on a certificate.
• User-created content:

  Not an issue.
• Messages:

  The site promotes a clear message of the importance of sharing and of "shining" -- essentially, being a good person. It talks about the interconnectedness of life, and how your actions affect others. The site offers ways to donate to charity. Also, kids can select only positive terms to describe their new friend, like friendly or musical.

What to watch out for

• Violence:

  Not an issue.
• Sex:

  Not an issue.
• Language:

  The chat only allows users to choose from set responses so there's no room for misuse.
• Consumerism:

  You have to buy a plush doll to play online; TV ad plays on many pages.
• Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

  Not an issue.

How safe is it?

• Personal privacy:

  Usernames are carefully monitored to make sure none are inappropriate or give away personal information.  The only personal information the site requests is a parent's email and ZIP code for password or username retrieval.
• Online interaction:

  The chat only allows users to choose from canned sayings like "Hey There" and "What's Up?"
• Parental controls:

  To obtain a username, kids have a request sent to their parent's email, which parents must approve.

What Parents Need to Know

About ShiningStars

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