Parents' Guide to

Zwinktopia

By Heidi Kotansky, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 15+

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Website http://www.zwinktopia.com
Zwinktopia Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

Community Reviews

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age 16+

Based on 3 parent reviews

chocolate7709
chocolate7709 Parent of 11-year-old
January 9, 2011
age 15+

unapropriate for kids under 14 for sure!!!!!!

dont really like it for kids under the age of 12. once i went onto zwinky with my child (shes 11) and there was alot of sexual content such as "123 to have smex with me", or "123 to smex me" they also try to alter unapropriate words such as "betch", or "fhuhckhing."

This title has:

Too much sex
Too much swearing
lololove200228
lololove200228 Parent of 17-year-old
September 1, 2010
age 17+

xdfe

rgv

This title has:

Too much drinking/drugs/smoking
See all 3 parent reviews

What’s It About?

ZWINKTOPIA.COM enables social networking in a virtual world. Once you download the free program, head on over to your Zwinky's (avatar) dressing room to outfit him/her with an emotion, personalized hair, makeup, outfit, body type, and accessories. Some things such as background scenes or cool haircuts are locked and can be accessed by earning ZBucks, Zwinktopia's online currency -- or by using real-world cash. Games are the easiest way to rack up ZBucks; each place you visit has a corresponding themed game. The main attraction of Zwinktopia is the chat feature. Just because you're online, though, it doesn't mean that talking to folks gets any easier; social interactions can be just as awkward in Zwinktopia as they sometimes are in the real world. Online chatting can also get very personal very quickly, with avatars asking other avatars for information or to come visit them in person. If you do trust another avatar, you can invite him/her to be your friend. But if you want to have a friend that isn't in your age group, you need to know the person's email address to send an invitation. Once the invitation is accepted, you can correspond via ZNotes -- online emails that are posted on your Profile Page and may be viewed by the public.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3):
Kids say (20):

If you're looking for a simple place to chat with newly found best friends, this site might just be the place for you -- as long as you know that this virtual world does come with some problems. It's too bad that there aren't more games and that most of the ones that do exist are quite silly and boring. And, you can go through your hard-earned cash in no time at the mall where you pop into stores that sell everything from surf wear to punk gear. The best part of the shopping experience is that you can try things on before buying them.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about social networking safety. What kind of information should be off limits, and what's OK to tell people? How can you report someone who's being rude, abusive, or inappropriate?

Website Details

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