Parents' Guide to

Polyvore

By Erin Brereton, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Create fashion passion collages and offer style advice.

Website http://www.polyvore.com/cgi/home
Polyvore Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this website.

Community Reviews

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age 13+

Based on 1 parent review

Faunmom
Faunmom Adult
February 1, 2016
age 13+

Parents be aware

This site looks innocent enough, and the kids can have a lot of creative fun designing outfits and collections. HOWEVER - Parents pay attention to your child's activity on this site. There are users there who roleplay, calling themselves variations of "anon" (in their user names). Some of the content in roleplay is highly inappropriate, bordering on illegal, considering there are so many minors on this website. Its easy for something that starts innocent to go too far. Keep your kids off the social aspect of the site, and they should be alright.

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
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What’s It About?

POLYVORE gives users their fashion fix by highlighting clothing and accessories from dozens of brands -- with links to sites that sell the goods. You can assemble collages of your favorite looks; other users can borrow the background templates you create to display virtual outfits or comment on your creations. Users can also join groups based on make-up, jewelry and other topics. The site is easy to use, and there's no shortage of items to ogle. But don't expect a ton of in-depth content -- the focus is on fashion adoration, not information.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1):
Kids say (8):

POLYVORE refers to itself as a social commerce site: Users can view recent trends, bounce style questions off each other, create fashion collages, and shop for clothing and accessories. (Framed art and some furniture pieces are featured, too.) Like Pinterest, Polyvore lets users install a button to their bookmarks tab that makes it easy to add items they like -- complete with tags to identify them -- to their stable of images on the site. You're supposed to be 13 or older to sign up; however, because users can add their real name to their profile and easily connect with complete strangers on the site, parents may want to think twice about letting teens create a Polyvore profile.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what kind of hurtful comments kids should avoid posting -- and could possibly be exposed to -- on sites that allow user comments. (Read our Rules for the Road guide for suggestions.)

  • What concerns arise with friending complete strangers online -- even if you have something in common, like a love of fashion? How can you protect your child's privacy online?

  • Use the site's emphasis on fashion as a springboard to discuss the importance of inner beauty. How can you balance having fun putting outfits together with avoiding focusing too much on your external appearance?

Website Details

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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 suggesting a diversity update.

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