As virtual worlds for kids like Club Penguin and Webkinz continue to multiply (it seems like every toy company is launching one), I continue to get a lot of questions from parents about both the educational value of these websites for children as well as concern about screen time. With Sesame Workshop, Disney and Noggin all launching sites for preschoolers, these are legitimate questions to be asking. While I don't have the answers, I did find this article in the Boston Globe about a researcher at Tufts who has developed an online experience for 11-16 year olds with some of these questions in mind. From the article:

Marina Bers, who last year was among 20 US scientists to receive the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in a ceremony at the White House, is pioneering technology that marries two independent disciplines - child development and computer technology. From the former, she brings the widely accepted tradition of Jean Piaget, which posits that children learn best by interacting with their world. From her mentor at MIT, Seymour Papert, comes the theory known as constructionism, that if children create their own technology they will learn more than if they simply swallow information technology spits out. The software she created is called Zora. Children's Hospital Boston is using it in a pilot project where 22 transplant patients, ages 11 to 16, log on daily from around the country to build a virtual community (Interestingly, she limits her three children ages 3, 7 and 4 to less than an hour a week in front of the computer).

You can learn more about Club Zora here. And, if you haven't, check out Zoey's Room, another great non-profit site emphasizing technology, math and science for girls.

If you are in the Los Angeles area, you should check out this panel discussion I am participating in organized by Common Sense Media and The MacArthur Foundation about kids and virtual worlds. It's free, but you have to register beforehand.

Posted by anastasia at 7:19 PM | Permalink

Great Schools just ran an article all about Club Penguin for parents in which yours truly is quoted throughout. Check it out...

Posted by anastasia at 12:46 AM | Permalink

The Associated Press has been busy playing catch up on what's happening with teens and tweens online. Two recent stories do have some useful info for parents:

- Kid networking sites force parents to act early (info and tips about the "Club Penguin" set and how kids are using social networks as early as 6 -- common sense stuff like setting limits, don't forget to make them play outside, too, etc.) (AP via MSNBC)

- The real deal on predators (please read this important story on what really puts teens at risk - [hint: it's not just posting a little too much personal info]. See also: my similar piece on PBS's Mediashift) (AP via Forbes, you have to click through the annoying welcome screen ad)

Finally -- I mentioned in my earlier post this week that teens should not be texting when they're driving (and neither should you!). Seventeen's new study says they are, which means it's time to talk to your teen about what they're doing behind the wheel.

Posted by anastasia at 8:45 PM | Permalink

I had a really interesting conversation with a journalist this morning about whether technology has changed this generation of kids and teens who have grown up "totally wired." It's hard to imagine technology creating an impulse that wasn't there to begin with. Most of the researchers I've read on this topic talk about what teens are doing online as mirroring what they've always done offline. This is pretty much what I argue in the book as well. Whether it's bullying, journaling, breaking up, making up, having crushes or expressing themselves by posting self portraits.

Would I have been comfortable posting my written diary online if I had access to the internet when I was younger? Would I have posted the photos my best friend and I took of each other "modeling" different outfits? Probably, knowing that I would get instant feedback and validation.

Obviously there are characteristics of the technology and digital communication that are different - the public nature of the internet, the ability for anything you post to go viral and reach way more people than you ever intended, the permanence of what you post, the possibility to be someone else online, to find other kids who may be engaged in self harm or who have eating disorders and support or encourage each other online as well as find "thinspiration" from countless images of Mary Kate Olsen, to create different accounts or profiles with different personalities, to create an avatar that's nothing like you, etc.

Maybe the initial impulses haven't changed, but is the way these impulses are able to be expressed virtually changing us? And if so, how? Are teenagers losing face-to-face social skills? Are kids who might have never "bullied" before in person now fighting back or attacking others online anonymously? Are girls with eating disorders relapsing because of pro ana sites when they wouldn't have relapsed without them? I don't think we fully have the answers to these questions yet. I don't think teens' motivations, needs or desires have changed, but technology can provide a cloak of anonymity and sense of distance that gives us all the opportunity to express ourselves in ways we would never think of doing offline.

I'm just excited to be part of this discussion and to continue to check in on the amazing work of researchers who are exploring these issues right now.

P.S. CNET just launched an excellent online safety guide for parents. Check it out!

Posted by anastasia at 12:50 AM | Permalink

Habbo Hotel is a popular virtual world for teens (especially younger teens) where you hang out as a squarish 2D avatar. As a part of their efforts around "Teen Online Safety Awareness Month," they polled 3,000 of their users asking them about internet safety. Here's what they found:

- 86.4% of teens say their parents have discussed online safety with them (this is great news!)
- 51.7% say they visit chat rooms at least once every day
- 18.5% say they have experienced chatting online with someone they found out was an adult pretending to be much younger
- 57.2% say they have chatted, IM'd or emailed with someone online that they have never met face to face (I think this would be higher in avatar communities than on MySpace, my sense is that teens aren't talking up strangers quite this much on social networks)
- 26.6% say they have been asked questions about their sexuality or sexual experiences while chatting online that made them feel uncomfortable (assuming questions could have come from other teens, too, which seems pretty normal)
- 31.7% say they have posted personal information online before
- 72.5% are aware that anyone can view personal information they post online, not just their friends (this has risen dramatically in the past year)

It's important to view these numbers in the context of the Habbo community, but it definitely makes you realize there are some creepy people looking to chat up kids and teens. At the same time, it's very encouraging and crucial that parents are talking about this, especially with tweens. Still, the majority of teens surveyed have not had the experience of chatting with an adult pretending to be younger.

P.S. Check out this great recap of the "Under 18: Blogs, Wikis and Online Social Networking Sites for Youth" panel I was on promoting Totally Wired at a conference called SXSW (South By Southwest Interactive).

Posted by anastasia at 6:28 PM | Permalink

Remember playing with paper dolls or even just becoming a character in an imaginary world you created with your friends in your room? Now kids and teens can do all of that with virtual representations of themselves called avatars. They can choose their hair color, skin tone, clothing and more. They can be 2D (flat) or 3D. They can also fly and fight and interact with other avatars in virtual worlds. I wrote a column about virtual reality environments for marketers on BusinessWeek.com awhile back that explains why I think teens are drawn to them and gives marketers some guidance on what to do and what not to do in these spaces. I wanted to write something here for parents that demystifies virtual reality environments and hopefully gives you a better understanding of where your teen may be spending lots of time online.

Boys & girls
Everyone I've spoken to who works for an avatar site or virtual reality environment has told me the same thing about the differences in how boys and girls use avatars. Girls tend to create avatars that look more like them and spend lots of time picking out clothes, designing their own virtual clothing and even hosting their own virtual fashion shows. Boys, many of whom already spend lots of time playing video games, are more likely to create fantastical characters that have some kind of crazy weapon or special power. These are generalizations, but I think they are fairly accurate. Because of this, there are a lot of virtual fashion sites popping up just for girls like Stardoll and GirlSense whereas other sites like Teen Second Life, which also required more computer scripting knowledge, tend to be more male.

Free to be whoever you want to be
The beauty of avatars or virtual reality is that teens have the freedom to really experiment with identity -- to be another gender, race or even species. They can try out different personalities as part of their natural identity building process. The risk of course, is that you may not know who anyone "really" is, and it's easier to bully or do something inappropriate under the cover of a virtual identity. Most virtual reality sites expressly for teens or tweens are moderated by staff and employ some type of safety measures to keep potential predators away. Adults cannot even enter Teen Second Life without extensive background checks, and even then, must be involved in a sanctioned activity on their own island like Global Kids or Eye4You Alliance Island.

Other sites like MTV's Virtual Laguna Beach, Meez, There and The Lounge are open to adults. They are all supposed to be PG-13, and are probably not appropriate for younger kids and tweens. Because of this, it's important to talk to your kids about giving their real age when they register and not lying to get in. And as with any environment where teens over 13 and adults can mix, it's essential that you talk about how to be safe, especially when adults can create avatars that look like teens.

The reality is that even sites with active community moderators can't always catch the normal teen drama that can happen in these worlds. You have to talk to your teen about the creativity and freedom of becoming someone else, but also about the responsibility of maintaining the same level of ethical behavior they would use on a site showing their real photo.

Virtual marketing
The other aspect of these worlds parents need to be aware of is the reality that marketers will be there, too. Whether they show up on a virtual billboard, or offer virtual cars your child can customize, they are there to get your child or teen to think about them, talk about them to their friends (and even more importantly, YOU), and ideally to interact with them as a form of "brand engagement." Most of these sites allow marketers to be there -- to my knowledge only Club Penguin (which is subscription based) and Teen Second Life have not (though they are all over adult Second Life).

I think these worlds really empower teens to be creative and provide a healthy outlet for experimentation. It's your job as parents to understand how they work, make sure your teens are being safe when they are "in world" and behaving ethically towards others -- even if that "person" is a flying two headed Cyclops.

Check out the list of virtual reality environments on the right side of the Totally Wired blog.

Posted by anastasia at 12:23 AM | Permalink

We all remember how important the concept of privacy is when you're a teenager. From posting "Keep Out!" signs on your bedroom door to hiding your diary to pleading with your parents to leave you and your friends alone, part of growing up is individuating from your family. At the same time, I believe that teenagers need and want adult mentors and role models in their lives, whether it's a parent, teacher, coach, youth minister, youth worker, or friend of the family.

I've blogged before about how online communities have become the new mall or hang out for teenagers. This means that in their minds, it's a space just for them. Even though many teens now get that their public profiles can be viewed by anyone, there is still a protectiveness over "their space" and a strong desire to not share it with parents or other adults.

There's a really interesting post over at the MacArthur Foundation blog Spotlight on Digital Media and Learning on how teens in Teen Second Life (a teens-only section of the virtual reality game Second Life) feel about adults setting up islands on their "grid." To my knowledge there are only a couple islands and both are run by excellent non-profit organizations who are providing top notch educational content for teens. Also, the adults on these islands cannot enter the main teen grid, but teens can visit the islands. Some of the teens interviewed were fine with the islands and even welcoming of the adult interaction, but a couple were not. I found this quote really interesting:

"I view Global Kids as a despicable attack on TSL's existence as a place for teen's to take a break from real life and be able to have a world entirely grown by them. I also view GK as an attempt to impose their well-meaning, but still imposing beliefs on others, and to mold personalities. Also GK seems likely to be spawned by the same people who create ESRBs (the rating board that attacks games with little detailed descriptions), MPAAs (the movie rating organization prone to giving ratings for speaking up about issues) and probably RIAAs (the music industry association known for blocking free speech and creativity) too."

Even the most well meaning adults can be viewed as "the man" when they are seen as setting up shop inside a youth space that is supposed to be completely by and for youth. Another teen reacted by saying, if teens weren't allowed in the regular version of Second Life, than adults should not even be allowed on islands within the teen grid. Unlike There.com (another virtual reality environment) and most social networking sites, Second Life has opted to completely segregate teens from the main grid (which is full of adult content). Any time a space has truly been claimed by teens as their own (even if there are adults around, like on MySpace), it is going to be challenging for adults to try to interact without being seen as invading.

It made me think back to when I was interviewing teens on MySpace for the book. Instead of just posting in the Class of '06 group or contacting any teens directly, I went through the group leader, asking if he would post my survey for me. I ended up getting close to 50 responses -- I know if I had asked myself, it would have been far less, maybe even none.

Teens wanting their own space and being fiercely protective of it is normal. This is important to remember and balance with the responsibility of being a parent and your right to know what your teen is doing online. I actually think you can find out more by asking about (instead of demanding to know) what your teen does online -- if your teen is getting in lots of trouble already, disregard my take and do what you feel you need to do. But I think you can get teens to show you different sites and features and open up without forcing them to show you their own profile right away (they may offer to share it with you naturally as you build a dialogue and trust with them around these issues).

The other takeaway from this is that most teens on sites where there are adults (like MySpace) actually want nothing to do with them. It's all about socializing within their network, their world (mostly made up of teens they know offline or teens they met through a mutual offline connection). Most teens are smart about this and have applied the don't talk to adult strangers rule to their digital lives. Unless someone is posing as a teen (and is really good at it), you can sleep easier knowing that their space on MySpace really is THEIR space.

Posted by anastasia at 8:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)

MyDeathSpace (where MySpace profiles live on as shrines to the deceased...) (via an article in The New York Sun)

- YALSA podcasts (not only are young adult librarians setting up shop in the virtual world of Teen Second Life, they're also recording podcasts with teens and librarians)

- Cyberbullying on the rise (in South Korean - where the social networking site CyWorld is huge)

- 'Own Your Own Space' (Computer company Symantec puts out a book for parents and teens on Internet safety)

- Teen 'text speak' allowed... (on exams in New Zealand) (Textually)

- Behind Bebo (check out this Ypulse interview with an executive from Bebo.com, one of the fastest growing social networks that teens are hanging out on)

- Crossing the Digital Divide (a new blog by Internet safety expert Ken Leebow)

Posted by anastasia at 9:29 PM | Permalink

Bits & Bytes will be a regular feature that rounds up interesting Totally Wired tidbits in one post.

ABC is easy as 123 (a new study says poor children may see increases in literacy rates through the frequent use of cell phones) (Media Life Magazine, second item)

- Wired journalist and former hacker creates MySpace pedophile-hunter bot (Kevin Poulsen wrote and released code that matches up registered sex offenders to their MySpace profiles [the ones who use their actual names] and finds hundreds of matches. But just like with any technology solution, each case requires human investigation to determine who these people actually are. Update: You can read about how Kevin's code actually caught a predator here.) (Boing Boing) (Wired)

- Unrated (one professor wonders if she's actually missing valuable, honest feedback from students by not showing up on increasingly popular websites where students rate their teachers) (Washington Post, reg. required)

- Gaming may make kids smarter (a new study shows that the way video games are built "in surprisingly pedagogical ways") (Newsweek)

- Decorating their space (the latest Nielsen Netratings show that the most popular sites with teens right now are those that feature ways for them to customize and personalize their MySpace profiles. This is a shift from three years ago, when it used to be all about choosing istant messenger buddy icons) (.pdf download)

- Peering through a vritual microscope (The New York Times, reg. required, on how science educators and the College Board are questioning whether virtual education, at least for science classes that require lab work, measures up to the real thing)

And over on Ypulse.com, I posted two interviews recently worth checking out. The first is with Lauren Bigelow, General Manager of WeeWorld North America. WeeWorld is a community based around "cheeky" avatars teens can customize and then use when they instant message each other. It's big in Europe and is headed our way. The second is with Michael Wilson, CEO of There.com, the virtual reality game that has become increasingly popular with teens. They are also the company that helped MTV create "Virtual Laguna Beach."

Posted by anastasia at 9:59 PM | Permalink

I'm just going to reprint this press release straight up. It's a must-attend press conference in Second Life (which means most of us will probably wait and watch the Webcast....)

MacArthur Foundation Press Conference and Panel Discussion on Digital Media and Learning

Thursday, October 19, 2006
10:00 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. ET
Second Life Venue: NMC Campus Amphitheater (113/97/26)
(NOTE: Please join "NMC Guests" group for access to Amphitheater)

Webcast Link: http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=35992 (beginning at 10:00 a.m. ET)

Topic: Are kids different today because of their exposure to technology? What role do video games, cell phones and social networking websites play in the development of today's children?

On Thursday, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation will make a major announcement that will generate a greater understanding of the impact technology and digital media has on today's youth.

You are invited to join the press briefing LIVE via Second Life or via a special Webcast. You can participate in this panel discussion with some of the greatest minds and most influential voices in the fields of technology, digital media, education and learning.

Panelists and influential audience members will include:

* Dr. Mizuko Ito, Research Scientist, Annenberg Center for Communication, University of Southern California , studying new media

* Henry Jenkins, Director of the MIT Comparative Media Studies Program and author of Convergence Culture: Where Old and New Media Collide and Fans, Bloggers and Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture.

* Howard Gardner, the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education

* Dr. Nichole Pinkard, Director of Technology and Research Associate, Center for School Improvement, University of Chicago, working to expand after-school media literacy programs

* Eric Zimmerman, CEO and founder, gameLab, working to develop new games to support media literacy and design skills in young people

Posted by anastasia at 8:25 PM | Permalink