MiniMonos

Review

Common Sense Media says

Game-based virtual world encourages kids to go green.
greenON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
yellowPAUSE: Know your child; some content
may not be right for some kids.
redOFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
not for kidsNOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age.

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Quality
 
Sometimes media can be age appropriate but a real waste of time. Our star rating assesses the media's overall quality.

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Parents say

Not yet rated

Kids say

AGE
8
QUALITY
 

What parents need to know

Parents need to know that MiniMonos is a virtual world for "green" kids. An adult's e-mail address is required during registration, and parents must activate their child's account. All site communication is monitored in real-time. However, because the administrators don't want to penalize kids for innocently asking questions, if they spot users asking for any personal information (or using what they dub "dating talk"), they send a friendly request to the kids -- and their parents -- asking them to avoid using similar language in the future. If there's a second violation, kids receive a warning -- on the third strike, they're banned from the site.

  • Positive messages4
    The site encourages users to display positive MiniMono traits, such as generosity, kindness, and honesty.
  • Violence0
    Not applicable.
  • Sex0
    Not applicable.
  • Language4
    With a free membership, users can only chat and write emails to other users who they've friended using a pre-selected word list. Gold members can chat openly, but the conversations are filtered for inappropriate language.
  • Consumerism3
    The site offers both free and paid memberships. Kids are encouraged to "Gold Gold" (i.e., pay) to get more stuff; Gold membership also supports a clean-water program. Users can buy accessories and special powers with shells and banana chips, which can be purchased or earned playing games. MiniMonos doesn't currently sell any real products and promises to only add ones in the future that align with its core values, such as compost bins.
  • Drinking, drugs, & smoking4
    During the registration process, users are asked to avoid using bad language or talking about drugs, alcohol, or sex.
  • Privacy & safety4
    Kids are reminded not to use their real name when registering, and chats are monitored to prevent users from sharing personal information. Kids are asked to enter a parent's email address during registration; parents then must authorize the account.
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Is it any good?

 

Founded by environmental advocate (and mom) Melissa Clark-Reynolds in 2007, the MINIMONOS virtual world teaches kids how to be green with games and activities. (Not every virtual world has its own recycling center!) Kids crawl through the site as monkeys and can partake in green activities like recycling their treehouse trash and playing games like Tic-Tac-Poo, where monkeys convert waste into fertilizer to create power. The site's pro-environment stance is an admirable one, but MiniMonos also deserves kudos for its efforts to keep kids safe. In addition to the usual precautions -- such as the reminder during registration not to use your real name as a username -- the site also strictly limits and monitors chats and emails, and MiniMonos TV episodes that are housed on YouTube can be viewed without users having to leave the site. The one catch: You may end up shelling out some green to help your child be green. There's plenty to do on the site with a free membership, but if your kid's clamoring for more accessories and chatting capabilities, you'll need a paid membership.

Online interaction: Users can chat, but all conversations -- including public and friend-to-friend chats -- are monitored.

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What families can talk about

  • What does it mean to be green? Why can thinking about pollution, waste, and how things affect the earth be a good thing to do?

  • What kind of things create a lot of waste? How can you be more green?

  • The site only lets you chat with strangers using pre-determined words. Why might that be safer than letting everyone type in anything they want? What kind of things should you watch for on sites that don't monitor or restrict chatting? (For more safety tips, check out our article on protecting personal privacy online.)

This review was written by Erin Brereton
Kid, 8 years old
May 1, 2011
AGE
7
 
I used to play this.
I used to play this game. It was fun. Useful messages. But i forgot my id :( Well VERY good for age 7+!
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Helped me decide (18) | Had useful details (16) | Read my mind (26)
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Kid, 13 years old
February 12, 2011
AGE
8
 
Perfect for everyone
Love it. It is really fun and because it is educational i learn a lot too.
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Helped me decide (20) | Had useful details (16) | Read my mind (24)
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Parent of 11 and 14 year old
January 6, 2011
AGE
6
 
Was this review useful?
Helped me decide (19) | Had useful details (16) | Read my mind (22)
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Kid, 12 years old
March 12, 2011
AGE
9
 
Good site
I have my own but I don't get on it because I wasn't very fond of the website, not because it was bad or anythgin I just joined it because I would be a beta! LOL I knwo bad reason why but, kinda cool :P But is is a good site for kids
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Helped me decide (14) | Had useful details (18) | Read my mind (17)
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Adult
November 5, 2010
AGE
10
 
Creators who listen and Interact with kids and parents!!
Wonderful new site with creators who listen and interact with the kids to find out what they want. Also good messages - if you do not recycle - your garbage bin overflows!!
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Helped me decide (16) | Had useful details (18) | Read my mind (14)
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Kid, 12 years old
November 20, 2010
AGE
7
 
Fun
It is a fun game about the environment.
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Helped me decide (12) | Had useful details (16) | Read my mind (14)
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This review was written by Erin Brereton
Genre:Virtual Worlds
This review was written by Erin Brereton

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About our rating system
ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age.
PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids.
OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age.
Learning ratings
BEST: Really engaging, great learning approach.
GOOD: Pretty engaging, good learning approach.
FAIR: Somewhat engaging, OK learning approach.
NOT FOR LEARNING: Not recommended for learning.
Our child development rating guidelines

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