Parent keeps cyber life in check

By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal staff | Monday, March 31, 2008

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Like a lot of parents, Carol Berry strives to keep moderation in her kids’ lives. That includes their cyber life.

Alexis, 10, and Eri Berry, 6, own seven Webkinz between them.    Webkinz are just one in a growing number of toys that combine cuddle appeal and cyber appeal. With a Webkinz stuffed animal, kids can go onto the Webkinz Web site, where their toy’s cyber counterpart can decorate its room, play games, shop and even play with other   Webkinz.  

Alexis, a fourth-grader at Meadowbrook Elementary, got her first Webkinz as a birthday present in the second grade. Eri, a kindergartner at Meadowbrook, got his first last year.

“Some days they play the games and some days they don’t,” Berry said. “My children like to have their Webkinz play with other friends’ Webkinz.”

Berry said she has noticed that the Webkinz come with a bit of peer pressure: kids comparing and competing over who has which pet. But the biggest issue for her is moderation.

“One of the things I have learned as a mother is that moderation is key with the computer, TV and video games, as well as sports, snacks and everything else  … so good things don’t become out of control and become addictive or negative …” Berry said.

How to monitor mouse time

The Associated Press

Growing up with a keyboard at your fingertips is a relatively new concept, and there still seem to be more questions than answers about how much of an impact — good or bad — online time will have on children’s development.

But some experts say you can work to help them build a safer and smarter relationship with the computer.

Keep perspective

Spend more time with real-life friends than virtual friends, says the president of Web Wise Kids, a nonprofit in Santa Ana, Calif.

“Kids should be having both experiences,” Judi Westberg Warren says. “They should be able to be online for a limited period of time, but also should be involved in real-life relationships and real-life activities.”

Strategic placement

Keep the computer in a public space, Westberg Warren says. It shouldn’t be in the kid’s room, where he is free to be online without supervision.

Be involved

Parents should get to know the programs their kids are using, according to Westberg Warren. It’s no good letting your child loose into a virtual world that you don’t know how to navigate yourself.

Participating can also be a good way to do an activity alongside your kid, instead of letting the computer be a divisive force in your relationship.

Content matters

“The message is the message,” when it comes to weighing the value of various Web sites and computer programs, says Jeanne Brooks-Gunn, director of the National Center for Children & Families at New York’s Columbia University.

Parents should pay attention to what kind of content their children are view-        ing when exploring virtual worlds.

Notice blatant advertising

A lot of sites aimed at kids are trying to sell stuff and introduce brands to children at an early and impressionable time of their lives.

Parents should keep an eye out for that kind of campaign, because kids can’t always recognize that the virtual world they are playing in is a glorified commercial, Brooks-Gunn says.

“There’s no reason to increase the consumerism of children in America.”