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Welcome to dPals!

What’s dPals all about?

dPals is a free online game aimed specifically at children where they can interact with each other using a personalised dPals character that they have created themselves on the builder. There is a virtual world where the dPals can dress up, explore, chat safely and play games. There is also a social network section where children can use their dPals character to create their own profile and post on their friends walls. There’s even an area where your child can adopt and look after their very own dPet.

What safety procedures are in place to protect my child?

The aim of dPals is to create a fun experience for children where they can express their creativity and network with friends in a safe environment. Unlike some other social networks children are not allowed to upload pictures and are restricted in what they can say through various features including advanced filters and human moderation. As safety is at the core of everything we do you will see below some of the key features we have implemented to deter any inappropriate behaviour:

Profanity and personal data filters – these specialised filters block swear words and personally identifying information. If a user attempts to use any of the banned words, number configurations or phrases their character will be ‘frozen’ for a set time period then asked to retype the sentence without the offending phrase. This stops at source inappropriate language or personal data meaning it will not appear in-world. However, as we’re sure you are aware children are very resourceful and often work hard to find ways around these filters. Therefore, we constantly update our core list to include any new additions which is an ever-evolving process.

Reporting system – all conversations in dPals are recorded and there is a detailed reporting system in place whereby our users can report serious behaviour as follows – asking for personal details including email, home address, telephone number etc , asking to meet in the real world and sexual comments. All of these reports are investigated fully and the appropriate action taken, including account suspension where necessary.

Blocking – if a child does feels uncomfortable they can click a block button and they will not see any chat from the user they have blocked.

Evicting – the eviction button can be used to permanently evict other users from dPartments ensuring no child is in a situation whereby they have to deal with another user that they do not want to communicate with.

Chat modes – there are two key chat modes as below:

Standard Chat: This system uses a selection of predefined greetings, questions and statements so your child will be able to interact with other dPals but in a restricted fashion. If a child is using this chat mode all chat can be seen but the user will only be able to respond from the predefined list.

Open Chat: this allows users to type their own messages. All chat in this mode is filtered to detect inappropriate language and the communication of personal information and is also subject to all of the aforementioned safety systems. Within open chat children also have the option to use ‘friends only’ or ‘global chat’.

CEOP link – we work with and seek guidance from relevant government agencies, including CEOP and the Internet Watch Foundation. A link to CEOP is visible at all times so that if a child does feel uncomfortable in any way they can click on this and be taken directly to the appropriate authorities or if preferred there are links here on cyber bullying and other worrying behaviours.

dPals rules – these are clearly laid out and we ask all new users to read and agree to abide by these rules to ensure a happy and safe community.

Key to all of the above is your vigilance of your child’s internet activity. It is important to make your child aware of the various aspects of visiting virtual worlds such as dPals. This includes how important it is to never give out their personal details and the dangers that could arise in doing so. This will help to build a general awareness ensuring your child is knowledgeable in best practice as regards using online sites such as dPals.