Parents' Guide to Stardoll

STARDOLL -- formerly Paper Doll Heaven -- lets users create fashion-based dress-up dolls and play games. You can make your own doll or choose one based on a celebrity.The site's clubs -- message-board like forums -- range from tame fan clubs to some questionable content (for example, although many of the posts in a club about first kisses are innocent, some mention body parts and sex). However, the site's emphasis on self-expression through fashion and writing is a plus; and although Stardoll's subscription service ranges from $6.95 for one month to $4.95 a month for a year, there are plenty of dolls you can dress-up using the free registration option. (In fact, you don't need to register at all to access many of them.) Users can also blog and access some of the site's creative design tools for free. Kids and teens might eventually beg to be upgraded to a paid subscription -- but there's plenty to do on Stardoll without shelling out a penny.

Online interaction: Registered users can join fan clubs based on celebrities, animals, and other topics and can also friend other members and email, chat with them, and post on their guestbook. Users can buy and sell their own virtual designs. Most comments are supportive, but some users have complained about dishonesty between users.