Slate.com has a couple of articles up today examining online social sites for kids. They take a look at some of the biggies- Webkinz, Club Penguin, Millsberry. Click it HERE and HERE to read the articles. I was surprised to learn that these sights are targeted to middle-graders. My daughter is a member of Club Penguin and she's only eight. Being a clueless dad, I figured she was hob-knobbing with other kids her age. Perhaps she is, but apparently most of the members are 'tweens or middle-graders or whatever the hell else we're calling 12 year olds these days. I walked away from these articles feeling confident that Club Penguin is the best of the lot. It seems to be the site most devoted to conversation and e-hanging out, as opposed to mindless consumerism.
Speaking of mindless consumerism, Webkinz is the worst offender I've seen yet. To give you some idea of what I'm talking about, here's an excerpt from the Slate article-
My daughter and I went to an actual store where I purchased a $15 stuffed poodle that came with an access code allowing entry to the paid part of Webkinz.com, a site owned by the stuffed-animal retailer Ganz. The goal at Webkinz: to accumulate enough wealth to keep your stuffed-animal avatar living in the kind of style to which a Leona Helmsley pet could become accustomed.
It encourages a vapid collector mentality not only online but in real life as well. The more crappy little dolls you buy at the mall, the more crappy little virtual characters you can have. Crappy little virtual characters that exist to work virtual jobs so they can make virtual cash to spend on more useless virtual crap. Now the makers of Webkinz claim this teaches kids responsibility because their online counterparts have to earn money before they can spend it. On crap. Of course these claims are pulled from the ether as there has been no research done on these new games. Such defenses remind me of my own bullshit justifications for playing so much Galaga back in the day, "But mom, it teaches hand/eye coordination!" It seems to me the site teaches kids that money is made to be spent on superficial garbage. Sure, kids hardly need to be taught to want every shiny trinket they see on the shelves. But by making kids "work" to earn their virtual trinkets, Webkinz is legitimizing the pursuit of materialism by equating it with responsible adult behavior.
Club Penguin is guilty of this as well. You may not have to buy any stuffed penguins at the toy store, but you can buy fashion accessories for your penguin characters. And I have to shell out six bucks a month. That's real bucks, not virtual bucks.
Speaking of mindless consumerism, Webkinz is the worst offender I've seen yet. To give you some idea of what I'm talking about, here's an excerpt from the Slate article-
My daughter and I went to an actual store where I purchased a $15 stuffed poodle that came with an access code allowing entry to the paid part of Webkinz.com, a site owned by the stuffed-animal retailer Ganz. The goal at Webkinz: to accumulate enough wealth to keep your stuffed-animal avatar living in the kind of style to which a Leona Helmsley pet could become accustomed.
It encourages a vapid collector mentality not only online but in real life as well. The more crappy little dolls you buy at the mall, the more crappy little virtual characters you can have. Crappy little virtual characters that exist to work virtual jobs so they can make virtual cash to spend on more useless virtual crap. Now the makers of Webkinz claim this teaches kids responsibility because their online counterparts have to earn money before they can spend it. On crap. Of course these claims are pulled from the ether as there has been no research done on these new games. Such defenses remind me of my own bullshit justifications for playing so much Galaga back in the day, "But mom, it teaches hand/eye coordination!" It seems to me the site teaches kids that money is made to be spent on superficial garbage. Sure, kids hardly need to be taught to want every shiny trinket they see on the shelves. But by making kids "work" to earn their virtual trinkets, Webkinz is legitimizing the pursuit of materialism by equating it with responsible adult behavior.Club Penguin is guilty of this as well. You may not have to buy any stuffed penguins at the toy store, but you can buy fashion accessories for your penguin characters. And I have to shell out six bucks a month. That's real bucks, not virtual bucks.
Ideally, I'd like to see all the shopping activities expunged from these sites. My own version would combine one of my daughter's favorite computer games, Zoo Tycoon, with Club Penguin. Instead of shopping for hats and boas, your virtual penguin uses it's penguin cash to build an aquarium or an amusement park. Other penguins can join in and help. Then after your park is finished, you open it to the public and voila- an online social destination you paid for and built yourself.
I like the social interaction aspect of these sites. I don't belong to the group of parents wringing their hands over time lost on the playground playing with "real" kids. My kids do plenty of that as well. These sites can be the 21st century equivalent of having pen pals. As they open up and more kids join, my daughter could end up going to a penguin party with kids from all over the world. And that's pretty cool.
I like the social interaction aspect of these sites. I don't belong to the group of parents wringing their hands over time lost on the playground playing with "real" kids. My kids do plenty of that as well. These sites can be the 21st century equivalent of having pen pals. As they open up and more kids join, my daughter could end up going to a penguin party with kids from all over the world. And that's pretty cool.
Visit our own hoppin' online social scene HERE!
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