Parents' Guide to SmallWorlds

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Common Sense Media Review

Susan Yudt By Susan Yudt , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 15+

Engaging virtual world for teens and adults.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 15+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 14+

Based on 41 parent reviews

age 12+

Based on 71 kid reviews

Kids say the platform is a fun and engaging game that fosters creativity through customization and interaction with friends. However, many reviews express concerns about inappropriate content, bullying, and security issues, highlighting the importance of parental supervision, particularly for younger players.

  • fun interactions
  • creative customization
  • inappropriate content
  • parental supervision
  • security issues
Summarized with AI

What's It About?

SMALLWORLDS.COM adds a new element to the usual chat-and-shop experience of many virtual worlds: missions. Once users create an avatar from a diverse palette of options, they're introduced to the mechanics of their universe via a series of missions. These increasingly complex tasks encourage users to interact with their environment, from acquiring furniture to training a pet. Locations have objects to examine or use, some of which can be integrated with other Web sites -- for example, you can display a Flickr photo in a picture frame or watch a YouTube video on your TV.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 41 ):
Kids say ( 71 ):

Even in its early stages, SmallWorlds.com is extremely sophisticated and rich in detail, yet user friendly. The beginner missions serve as a handy interactive orientation, teaching players how to zoom, rotate, sit down, use objects, and so on. Helpful tips from moderators and forum users make challenging tasks fun rather than frustrating. Best of all, more advanced users can create their own missions for other players to take on, making this virtual world a truly creative, collaborative endeavor.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about what's safe to discuss online and what's not. How do you know whether you can trust someone enough to make them a "friend" and share personal information? Some of the missions encourage users to interact with each other, so families can talk about how this kind of interaction compares with offline socializing. Families can also discuss what's a reasonable amount of time to spend on this site, since it's very easy to get carried away.

Website Details

  • Genre : Virtual Worlds
  • Pricing structure : Free
  • Last updated : October 9, 2025

Did we miss something on diversity?

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