Website Review: BarbieGirls.com
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that Mattel has gone to great lengths
to make this girl-centric world a safe place to be. Chatting is
monitored and special filters in the public rooms prevent
personal information from being shared. The bad part is that
girls are encouraged to embrace all things Barbie from
fashion/beauty (choose an avatar's hair, eyes, clothes, and
accessories), consumerism (go shopping), and home décor
(pick a room's bed, walls, and furniture). Many of the goodies
available online to girls who earn B bucks (virtual money) and
a secret chat with preapproved friends are only unlocked with
the Barbie MP3 player ($60 to buy). Though no ads are shown on
this site, girls can earn B bucks or special codes by
purchasing (with real cash) more Barbie products.
Families can talk about whether Barbie is a true representation
of a girl. Do most girls look like Barbie? Families can also
discuss the importance -- or lack thereof -- of being trendy
and always having a new outfit to show off. Is it important to
run out and buy the new hip shirt or pair of pants?
This Mattel-operated site is your girl's one-stop-Barbie-shop where she can create her own avatar, design her own room, chat with friends, and play games. To join BARBIEGIRLS.COM, all you have to do is choose a screen name and password. Using the site is free, though many of the areas and goodies for sale using B bucks (virtual cash) are only available for girls who have a Barbie Girl MP3 ($60). The site has two kinds of chat: B Chat and Secret B Chat. Anyone can participate in B Chat. Secret B Chat is a way for friends to chat in their own rooms; they gain access to this feature when they dock their Barbie Girl MP3 at each others' computers. Mattel monitors both types of chat and applies sophisticated filters to keep chatting safe and friendly. Each member can also send and receive mail from other members.
Mattel has gone to great lengths to make this girl-centric world a safe place to be. Chatting is monitored and special filters in the public rooms prevent personal information from being shared. The bad part is that girls are encouraged to embrace all things Barbie such as fashion/beauty (choose an avatar's hair, eyes, clothes, and accessories), consumerism (go shopping), and home décor (pick a room's bed, walls, and furniture). Many of the goodies available online to girls who earn B bucks (virtual money) and a secret chat with preapproved friends are only unlocked with the Barbie MP3 player ($60 to buy). Though no ads are shown on this site, girls can earn B bucks or special codes by purchasing (with real cash) more Barbie products.
GirlSense.com
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
