Parents' Guide to Animal Jam

Website http://www.animaljam.com
Animal Jam Poster Image

Common Sense Media Review

Dana Anderson By Dana Anderson , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 10+

Beware unmonitored chat in Nat Geo virtual world.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 10+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

See all
age 10+

Based on 304 parent reviews

Parents say that while the game has educational value and some positive aspects, it is plagued by serious security issues, a pay-to-play model, and a toxic community that can expose children to inappropriate behaviors. Many reviews express frustration over poor customer support, incidents of hacking, and a strong emphasis on transactions that can lead to significant losses, making it a game that could be risky for kids.

  • security issues
  • pay-to-play
  • toxic community
  • poor customer support
  • inappropriate behavior
Summarized with AI
 

 

See all 304 parent reviews
age 9+

Based on 701 kid reviews

 

 

See all 701 kid reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Personal information is not shared for third-party marketing.
  • Personalised advertising is displayed.
  • Data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • User's information is used to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What's It About?

Kids create animal avatars with cute anonymous names made from mashups of suggested words (e.g., "Handsome Wackycat"). They then pick a place to visit, play games, meet other players, or shop. Most games don't require or reinforce knowledge of the natural world. Social activities include chatting, game challenges, visits to buddies' dens, or sending friendly Jam-a-Grams. Winning games earns gems, which can buy accessories, furniture, or a pet. New "animal jammers" be warned; Jamaa is a busy place, and new players may need to ask others for help.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 304 ):
Kids say ( 701 ):

Since this site is a National Geographic product, it's expected to have strong nature photos, videos, and graphics; solid information; and generally be a high-quality production -- and it is. That said, if your child or younger tween isn't a strong reader or doesn't have experience with more simple virtual worlds like Club Penguin or Webkinz, Animal Jam could be a bit confusing at first. And some of the games are more arcade-style, less educational. As in most virtual worlds, players earn points that get them online money ("gems") to buy items for their avatar and avatar's home, or to play certain more complex games. Overall, a safe, higher-value-than-usual virtual world for tweens.

Online interaction: This site has a safe and very structured chat and buddy system. The rules are clear, and it's easy to ignore, block or report players who are not following the rules. As virtual worlds go, some of the online interaction is very basic and not very worthwhile, but there is enough educational content here that hopefully kids can find meaningful topics about which to interact here.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about how to play nice and be safe in virtual worlds. Review the guidelines on Animal Jam together, and read Common Sense Media's Online Worlds for Young Kids Tips for more ideas.

  • Discuss Animal Jam's Play Timer feature with your kids to help them begin setting self-limits on their computer time. Check their overall time spent on the site's parental controls account. Read Common Sense Media's advice on Setting Computer Time Limits for your children.

  • Ask your kids what they're learning about animals and the environment from their time on Animal Jam. They might teach you a new animal fact or conservation idea!

Website Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by

Animal Jam Poster Image

You May Also Like...

See all

Virtual-World Games and Websites

See all

Educational Websites

See all recommended website lists

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate