Common Sense Media Review
By Erin Brereton
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Virtual world low activity; pretty high on safety.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 13+?
Any Positive Content?
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 18 parent reviews
Parents say the website has seen a decline in quality and enjoyment, with numerous complaints about unfair moderation, poor customer service, and a focus on cash grabs rather than fun. While some users appreciate the community and content, many express concerns regarding safety, admin behavior, and the overall experience being more frustrating than enjoyable.
- unfair moderation
- poor customer service
- safety concerns
- declining enjoyment
- cash grab focus
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Based on 33 kid reviews
Kids say this website offers a mixed experience, with some enjoying the virtual pet care aspects similar to Neopets, while others criticize it for inappropriate content and poor management. Concerns about safety for younger users are prevalent, with several reviewers mentioning issues with bans, rude staff, and violence that make it unsuitable for children under 12.
- safety concerns
- inappropriate content
- poor management
- virtual pet care
- mixed experience
- negative user interactions
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
MARAPETS.COM allows users to create virtual pets that can travel through 16 virtual worlds, which users can then write about on the free Web site and online journals they receive when registering. Both are hosted on the site -- as are a number of ads.
Is It Any Good?
Virtual worlds area dime a dozen these days, and unfortunately, this one doesn't cut it. Besides having not much to do, kids will probably get annoyed by the constant solicitations for donations (you can pay via credit card or cell phone) which in a Catch-22 situation, also gets users a few "extra benefits, items, and rewards." Users must care for and feed their virtual pet or it will die; but that just typically involves answering a question about whether or not you want to feed your pet. When traveling through the site, you stumble upon some food, but nothing really happens. This activity, like the rest of the site, is low on interactive fun.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the dangers of posting personal information on public areas of Web sites -- even if those areas are restricted to registered site users. What information is OK to share online? What should be kept private? How can posting or giving someone personal information such as an email address be unsafe?
Website Details
- Genre : Virtual Worlds
- Pricing structure : Free
- Last updated : December 11, 2025
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