Common Sense Media Review
By Leslie Crenna
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Serious privacy, content issues with celebrity fantasy site.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Videos and Photos
MovieStarPlanet
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 92 parent reviews
Based on 264 kid reviews
Kids say that the game is no longer safe for children, as many reports of bullying, inappropriate content, and predatory behavior from older users have emerged over the years. While some enjoy the game for its creativity and social aspects, the overwhelming consensus is that it is unsuitable for younger audiences without strict monitoring and education on internet safety.
- not safe for kids
- bullying and predation
- inappropriate content
- mixed player experience
- parental monitoring required
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
Privacy Rating Warning
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
Privacy Rating
Our expert evaluators create our privacy ratings. The ratings are designed to help you understand how apps use your data for commercial purposes.
Pass
Meets our minimum requirements for privacy and security practices.
Warning
Does not meet our recommendations for privacy and security practices.
Fail
Does not have a privacy policy and should not be used.
What's It About?
In MOVIESTARPLANET, kids create a movie star avatar, advancing their fame and collecting coins through a vast number of activities. These range from seeking gifts and playing "Simon Says (Casting)" to collecting friends and autographs, making canned movies in response to thematic challenges, and creating "looks." Available in 15 countries, the site also offers virtual pets and shopping for those with super pricey subscriptions or many hours of accumulated coinage.
Is It Any Good?
This fantasy website zeroes in on tweens' most basic fears and desires in a carefully crafted virtual world of movies, magazines, fashion, pets, and dating -- but, more than anything else, social status. Wanna know what teenagers want? Easy rewards and expensive privileges mixed with a desire to be liked by strangers. Truly, it's hard not to feel intimidated in user pumpchkin's party room (level 86 fame). Despite prodigious rules and assurances about safety, kids ask each other out in chat spaces where girls can choose provocative outfits (no surprise there), YouTube is fully integrated, and everyone is supposed to be finding an image for a frame on their profile page with a big pink heart next to it. Avatars are 90 percent girls, and guys tend to have suggestive usernames such as HOT LIPS LOVE. For those not quite ready for collecting BFFs and loves, Boonie and Bonster pets offer some safety.
At one end, MovieStarPlanet is as innocent as a poll asking about the best thing about swimming pools, while at the other it's truly mystifying and somewhat disturbing. The stated minimum age of 8 is decidedly too young for full access to this clearly popular site. For example, nearly half of all chats and posts are obscured with hash marks or asterisks because of language issues. Load times can be super sluggish, and games are often weighed down by ads or are just plain age-inappropriate. Finally, the moviemaking zone is a huge lost opportunity for actual learning and collaboration; kids are encouraged with weekly thematic moviemaking challenges for temporary VIP status, but results are stilted and tight. MovieStarPlanet may seem like meaningless fun, but the content and privacy issues raise way too many red flags for even savvy Internet users.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how to become a rich and famous celebrity in real life. Would you join a theater company, take singing lessons, or join a band? Are those activities likely to make you rich and famous? Why, or why not?
Discuss the pitfalls of celebrity. Are there downsides to being well known? Are you willing to give up your privacy to be constantly surrounded by fans, press, and other people because you're famous?
Website Details
- Genre : Virtual Worlds
- Pricing structure : Free to try, Paid (Subscriptions cost $3.99-$5.99 for 1 week's access, $9.99-$13.99 for 1 month, or $59.99-$79.99 for one year.)
- Last updated : October 26, 2022
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
Suggest an Update
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