THE dinosaurs didn’t know it, but their world might have narrowly averted upheaval this month.

For two years, all the denizens of Webosaurs, an online virtual world for children 5 to 12, could customize their dinosaur avatars with leather armor and other whimsical outfits.

Recently, though, the Webosaurs founder, Jacques Panis, decided that leather armor should be available only to premium members, who pay about $6 a month. Players with free membership would be denied that attire.

Then the Metaverse Mod Squad stepped in. The company employs moderators around the country who monitor the Webosaurs site to keep its users safe and happy.

In this instance, it told Webosaurs that if the change were made, the free users might abandon the Webosaurs world or turn on one another. In the end, the dinosaurs kept their armor, and Webosaurs avoided the possibility of alienating some of its 1.5 million registered users.