Should Kids Hang Out at Club Penguin?
Do these sites promote too much commercialism?
Some sites, like Whyville, have ads spread across the site. Others, like Webkinz, include promotions for their own products. Club Penguin is ad-free, although kids must pay around $6 per month for access to some of the popular features. A letter from Club Penguin's founders posted on the site states that they remain committed to maintaining their no-advertising policy, despite Disney's purchase of the site. That said, a penguin with mouse ears can already be spotted in several places around the site. Woodruff-Long said she wouldn't want her 8- and 10-year-old kids being bombarded with ads for Disney products.
"It would definitely bother me if they asked for stuff all the time when they were using Club Penguin," she said. "We watch limited TV, and now I can have reasoned discussions with them about advertising, but I really don't like it."
Almost all of the sites include ways for kids to earn points or virtual money and then spend it "buying" virtual items on the site. Oxford finds this aspect of Club Penguin to be positive for her son: "I like that he has 12 puffles and he really has to pay attention to them and feed them. He understands that you have to pay to feed them so they won't run away."
Goodstein says that earning virtual currency to buy things teaches kids valuable lessons about economics. However, she cautions parents to talk to their kids about the message some of these sites are sending and the goals of the companies - to make money.
Is there any benefit for kids in using these sites?
Goodstein says kids can learn to socialize on kids' sites but in a much more controlled way than their older counterparts on MySpace.
"They are like the training wheels for socializing that is becoming so much a part of teenagers' lives," said Goodstein.
She also said that many sites promote learning, especially reading, writing and communication skills. "Kids are using their imaginations, and when they are creating an avatar, they are sort of beginning to experiment with identity, what they wear and what they want to look like. It is a virtual way of doing what we used to do when we'd pretend."
Some of the parents I spoke with aren't so sure.
"It's a tough call," said Epstein. "I lull myself into thinking it is good. Some of the games build timing skills and it is good for kids to have downtime. When I was a kid I would have been working on mazes or connect the dots." But Epstein said she did not think kids need to start training for MySpace at age 8 or 9.
Goodstein does caution that parents should limit the amount of time their children spend online. "Anything in excess is bad. Kids need to play in real life, and go outside. It is incumbent on parents to set limits and allow it as a treat maybe an hour a day."
What can you do if your child is hooked on Club Penguin?
Yes, it happens. Some parents report that their kids cry when told to log off. Goodstein doesn't have too much sympathy for this problem. "Parents need to be really firm about how much time their kids can spend online. If they have a fit, that's too bad. You're the parents. Tell them to go outside, do something different. You need to push them into a new activity. They shouldn't be able to get hooked in the first place." She noted that the addictive quality of the gaming on some sites makes kids want to be on the computer all the time. It also makes it more important for parents to be sure they aren't.
