Parents need to know that although this site is a fun way to introduce kids to the world of avatars and social networking, they'll want to sit down with younger kids and explain the iffy situations that can go on in penguin land. While kids do have a chance to mingle and make friends, they're also exposed to some not-so-friendly behavior, which could be upsetting to children who don't know how to deal with rejection and/or bullying just yet.
For example, instead of using words to negotiate friendships, it's very easy in this virtual world to get a mean face icon in response to "Wanna be friends?" Then the mean penguin is gone and the hurt, friendless penguin is left alone wondering what he did wrong. You can also throw snowballs at random penguins for no apparent reason.
The thorough "Parents Guide" section helps adults navigate the site and its features. In order to keep the site ad-free, you do have to pay to become a member—there are free memberships, but paid members can buy things like clothing and furniture for their igloo. There's also a "Club Penguin Shop" that sells non-virtual goods like shirts, hats, and keychains.
Families can talk about chat etiquette, Internet safety, and virtual worlds:
- What's the best way to approach a new person online?
- Why would someone be mean to someone he or she never met?
- What can you say or do if another penguin (or real-life person, for that matter) is mean to you? Why is using words a good way to deal with a conflict?
- What social behaviors is a virtual world teaching?
- Do you think networking sites help build good relationships? Why or why not?
- How would you make friends offline?
Common Sense Review
Have you ever wondered what penguins do for fun? Hanging around the South Pole is a thrill, but when a penguin really wants to chill out and kick back, he waddles over to the club. ClubPenguin.com, that is.
Create a free account, pick a name and a penguin color, and you're on your way. But first, parents need to choose what kind of chat their kids can use. There's "Ultimate Safe-Chat," which allows users to converse using a substantial list of standardized, controlled common greetings, questions, and answers. Parents can choose to put in their own password in order to change the chat settings later.
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