Common Sense Media Review
By Dana Anderson
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Social site with good edu value needs supervision.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 12+?
Any Positive Content?
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 8 parent reviews
Based on 22 kid reviews
Kids say that while the website has educational potential and safety measures in place, the overall experience can be marred by bullying and inappropriate behavior from other users. Many reviews highlight the negative interactions and strict chat limitations, indicating that it may not be suitable for younger children or those easily affected by rudeness, despite offering fun and engaging activities for slightly older age groups.
- educational value
- rude interactions
- strict limitations
- age-appropriate
- unsafe environment
- unsuitable for young kids
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's It About?
On Whyville, users create an avatar and meet others. Together, they play science- and math-centric learning games, chat, spend virtual (or actual) money, and hang out. Set up to mirror a real-life community, users can participate in government. As in adult virtual communities such as Teen Second Life, users spend virtual money -- called clams, here -- to buy cars, build their own homes, and fancy up their avatars. Clams can be purchased with real money via PayPal or through gameplay.
Is It Any Good?
Although creators have included a number of safety measures (including registering for the site with a parent's email, requiring a parental permission slip to be sent via snail mail, taking a thorough pre-chat test, and reporting abuses by other players through a "911 report"), one of the site's major mishaps is that the chat rooms aren't monitored around the clock, so there can be predictable teen-like interchanges about "hooking up" and some inappropriately frank -- and sometimes hurtful -- comments.
Many of the educational components within Whyville are sponsored by well-respected institutions in the science, art, health and math fields, such as NASA and the John Paul Getty Trust. On the negative side, however, there are a lot of advertisers on the site, including Wal-Mart, Disney, and the car maker Scion. The constant call for clams and trumpeting of big-ticket items like cars makes Whyville somewhat of a conundrum for parents: Do the educational benefits outweigh the commercial influences?
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how some activities on this site are different from other virtual worlds. Do your kids come to the site because it offers good community activities? Does the safety test help them feel safer exploring the site. Families can also take a tour of the site together and talk about what they see.
Website Details
- Subjects : Science : biology , ecosystems and the environment , physics
- Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence , Health & Fitness : balanced diet , Responsibility & Ethics : respect for others
- Genre : Educational
- Pricing structure : Free
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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