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  • Is it age appropriate?

    About our ratings

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    Not age appropriate for kids under 6, age appropriate for kids over 8; suggested age 8.
  • Is it any good?

    3.0
  • Common Sense says

    Buy a real toy and play with it online.

On this site kids can:   connect with friends, play games, play in a virtual world
updated 10.02.09

Why We Rated This on for Ages 8 and Up

The good stuff

  • Educational value:

    Teaches kids about the responsibility of pet ownership and also offers educational trivia games.
  • User-created content:

    Kids do get a sense of accomplishment by dressing up their Webkinz pet and by furnishing their room.
  • Messages:

    The overall message of the Webkinz world is positive. Kids learn empathy by caring for their virtual pet. But there's another under-the-radar aspect to Webkinz: cheating. Webkinz doesn't promote it, but kids know that they can find cheats on the Internet for Webkinz missions. Make sure you talk to your kid about cheating and stress that it's not OK in real life and it's not OK online.
 

What to watch out for

  • Violence:

    Not an issue.
  • Sex:

    Not an issue.
  • Language:

    Not an issue.
  • Consumerism:

    You have to buy a Webkinz plush pet, whose secret code gains you access to the Webkinz World. Webkinz mostly promotes their own brand with fake "ads" linking kids to other areas of the site, but a few real ads (for kids' movies) are thrown in the mix. Though actual products can't be purchased on the site, kids go into the W Shop and use KinzCash (virtual cash) to buy clothes, furniture, and objects for their pets. Kids can also add other toys to their "wish lists."
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking:

    Not an issue.
 

How safe is it?

  • Online interaction:

    Kids can participate in KinzChat, which is a controlled, pre-scripted chat prevents kids from sharing personal information.
 

What Parents Need to Know

About Webkinz

Parents need to know that Webkinz allows kids to "adopt" their store-bought plush pet and care for it online for one year. It does promote shopping and spending -- there are plenty of ways to earn and spend KinzCash (to buy clothes and furniture for the pet's room), and kids can purchase other Webkinz toys on the site's store. Happiness and health levels are shown on a meter that's affected by how often the pets are visited on the site, but if a kid loses interest in his Webkinz, the pet will be "sad" but won't actually die. With constant new features and daily and hourly events, kids might feel they miss out if they aren't online constantly, so you might want to limit computer time.

Did this review help you decide?

Families Can Talk About

  • Families can talk about the rules for playing safely in an online world. They should also talk about the prevalence of cheating and how Webkinz secrets and cheat codes are offered freely on the Internet. Ask your kid whether they think it's OK to use cheat codes in a virtual world.
  • Because the Webkinz world is immersive, kids will be tempted to play for long periods of time. Families can also talk about setting computer time limits.

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See all 298 member reviews

Most Recent Reviews

  1. Kid Reviewer Age 11
    I rate this title for age 4 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    LOVE THEM!!!

    I LOVE IT!! most people say im getting to old for it becouse im 11 but i still LOVE i play it when i can and i love the plushies the most!!

  2. I rate this title on for age 6 and give it 5.0
    • My highlights are:
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue

    great site!

    The best! My 7 year old Lilli Anna loves it! Gives postive messages to feed your pets.

  3. Teen Reviewer Age 13
    Lives in Kentucky
    I rate this title on for age 4 and give it 4.0
    My concerns are:
    • Inappropriate language
    • Excessive consumerism

    • My highlights are:
    • Educational
    • Positive messages
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    Gets A little boring as you get older

    Very nice little site from Ganz, I have 43 Kinz, The thing is the updates knock you off alot, But lots of positive messages like "Good Job" or "Congratulations" VERY user friendly, I reccomend this site for 4+

  4. Teen Reviewer Age 14
    I rate this title on for age 5 and give it 4.0

    Kinda boring for older kids but great for tweens/kids

    Love: The safe aspect and the overall positive attitude of the website. I also like that the pets can't die, however your account can be cancelled. Hate: The entire website is a gimmick. Scenario: You got your first webkinz for christmas. With the business of the next year's Christmas, you haven't gotten a chance to log on. You get another webkinz, but when you try to activate it... 'Sorry! Your account has been deleted because you failed to get another webkinz pet.' That makes me so mad. Also, there are directions you have to read with big words that younger kids might not be able to read.

  5. I rate this title on for age 3 and give it 5.0
    My concerns are:
    • Excessive consumerism

    • My highlights are:
    • Safety isn't an issue
    • User content is age appropriate

    loved it for years....... but then slowly grew out of it.

    this websit i loved from prat of 3rd grade to 5th grade but now that i'm in 6th grade i'v grown out of it. The games seem a little boring and babyish and nothing seems as fun as it used to be. If u knew me for a while u could tell i loved webkinz i have about 58 of them but my friend has 132. but anyway the point is webkinz is for ages 3-10 and maybe 11 but certainly not 12. PS: the stuft animals are cute!!!!! and sense i used love it soooooo much just because it was ment for my age group i give it 5 starts!!!!

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