Concerned Older Sister - Webkins and VMK

[Princess Ash]

Hi everyone, many of you know me from the TB.

I am 19 and my brother is 12. He went on that Webkins site the other day with his friend and was "talking to this girl who was really nice." Suddenly, I was terrified that some predator was talking to my brother! I want to let him play and have fun, but from the rest of his stories, it sounds like the kids on that site aren't very nice.

I know I've been on VMK before myself. Though I got confused quite often, it seemed like a decent site, safe, friendly, etc. But I was also an experienced, careful, OLDER player. I'm terrified of letting my little brother, someone I love with all my heart, play on these sites.

A little advice and help please?

 

[souper]

About Webkins:
My niece plays Webkins. I watched her play one day to see what it was like. As far as I could tell all of the Webkin dialog is "canned" (pre-made) sentences that you select from a drop down menu. (If that has changed please let me know ASAP.)

Thanks!

 

[LoriR]

It's great that you are so interested in helping to keep your brother safe. The best thing you can do is watch him play and talk to him about online safety. Here are some tips on what you should chat with him about:

iKeepSafe


Safety tips for kids

It's a good idea to create a list of rules for your kids to follow every time they're online. You may even want to post these rules near the computer. Here are three suggestions.

1.Never give out your name, phone number, address, passwords, social security number, or credit card numbers.

2.If something on the computer makes you feel uncomfortable, turn it off.

3.Never agree to meet someone in person that you met online.

Ready, set, game:

Learn how to keep video gaming safe and fun

Tips for parents to help kids play it safe with online games

Published: November 4, 2004
Video games, especially those featuring online or multiplayer options, are now equal to or fast exceeding the appeal of television, music, and movies for children and young adults. By educating yourself about the gaming community, game ratings, and how to use the privacy and safety tools built into the games, you can help keep your child's gaming experiences safe, age-appropriate, friendly, fun, and even educational.

The following are a few basic tips on how you can make informed decisions to help protect your child when they play games and compete online.

• Educate yourself. Become familiar with game ratings and privacy statements, and review each online gaming site's terms of acceptable use. See the Xbox Live code of conduct page as an example.

• Observe. Check out the games your children play and whom they play with. Place the computer or game console (for example, Microsoft Xbox) in a place where it can be easily monitored if needed, and take an interest in the games your children play.

• Set rules. You should do this before your child goes online, and be comfortable that he or she understands them. Typical rules include limiting play time, playing with off-line world friends only, and never chatting with strangers or giving out any personal information, including the child's real name or where they live. For some ideas on how to set up house rules, read Family contracts: Web code of conduct for kids.

• Monitor game chats and messages. If a player is using inappropriate language, encourage your child to tell you and you may be able to select their name from the players list to mute or block their messages, or you can report them to game administrators using e-mail, chat, or feedback. Check the game site in question for more information.

• Ensure privacy. Advise your kids to never give out any personal information (for example, their name, age, gender, or home address), pictures of themselves, or agree to meet someone in person, when using online chats. Make sure they know to tell you immediately if someone asks them for this information.

• Use voice chat wisely. Some game systems allow voice chatting with other players through the use of a headset. (This is not recommended for younger children.) See your computer or game console manual for more information about this feature.

Note: Voice masking or cloaking technology that can disguise a child's real voice is now available for computers and most game consoles, such as Microsoft Xbox. Note that adults can mask their voice, too, however, and not everyone is necessarily who they say they are.

• Choose appropriate names. Have your child use suitable screen or character names (also called gamertags) that follow the rules of the game site. These names should not reveal any personal information or potentially invite harassment.

• Be aware of cyberbullies. Learn how to deal with bullies in online games, also known as griefers. To find out more about griefers, read 10 tips for dealing with game cyberbullies and griefers.

• Teach your kids cybersafe habits. Tell your kids that if they feel uncomfortable with anything that's going on in a game, they should stop playing and tell you about it immediately, so you can record and report the issue if necessary.

• Participate. One of the safer ways for your kids to play online games is if you play with them. This may be the last thing they want to do, especially if they're older kids, but it's a good way to help them learn how to deal with others online while still having fun.




Mal

 

[seaturtledude]

My sister plays Webkinz about everyday. From what I have seen all the phrases are pre-made, and all she does is play the games and really isn't that interested in chatting with other people.

 

[hdmonkeybug]

Webkinz does now have The clubhouse, which is a chat room. One of the things in TheClubhouse is "canned" chat (which is what everyone here has been saying) - predetermined phrases that allow kids to talk without actually typing. They chose from lists of allowed statements or questions to communicate. However, there is also The Clubhouse plus, which is a regular typed chat and as far as I can see anything can be said, but to use this feature, you need to get parent approval. This happens through email, I believe. In Clubhouse Plus, there is a limited dictionary, much like VMK and it is monitored.

Hope this helps

 

[jasonpwns]

Webkinz does now have The clubhouse, which is a chat room. One of the things in TheClubhouse is "canned" chat (which is what everyone here has been saying) - predetermined phrases that allow kids to talk without actually typing. They chose from lists of allowed statements or questions to communicate. However, there is also The Clubhouse plus, which is a regular typed chat and as far as I can see anything can be said, but to use this feature, you need to get parent approval. This happens through email, I believe. In Clubhouse Plus, there is a limited dictionary, much like VMK and it is monitored.

Hope this helps

No it's way more limited then vmk @_@ and clubhouse plus is closed now

 

[Princess Ash]

Thank you so much everyone for your input.

Any stories of experience with your DD/DS or brother or sister, etc. would be more than welcome.

 

[bytheblood]

You sound like a wonderful big sister. Your brother is very fortunate to have you.

 

[BusyBeaBee]

Hi Princess
I am a mom of three and my two younger DD's ( 11 and 7) play webkinz all the time , ( as do I i play ALL the online games that my children play , so that i know what they are doing) and we love it

the "conversations" are canned phrases, and it is just like playing arcade games and taking care of your virtual pets. really fun for younger kids
there is really no way any "predation" can occur because it is simply not possible to engage in that type of conversation

If you really want to settle your mind, ask your brother to get onto his account and then let you play. you will then see how much fun it is and how difficult it is to say the "wrong" thing on the webkinz site!!

Hope this helps
Busy

 

[IslanderFan0194]

You sound like a wonderful big sister. Your brother is very fortunate to have you.

I agree!

 

[Captain Brain]

Hi Ash.

My younger brother plays VMK every so often. He usually gets the "Are you taken" and the "Be my boy" messages. He doesn't know how to type, so people think that he is ignoring them. I usually watch him, just so I know what he is doing. He doesn't play Webkinz, he didn't want to buy a stuffed cat. lol.

 

[PurpleDuck]

Ash!!! Where have you been girl?!

I still remember the day you and I met on VMK.. you were just a guest. Wow that was SO long ago!! Back in the days you could talk on VMK!!

That was when you told me you were a DIS member and we friended each other. So nice to know you are still around!