Club Penguin: A Safe Place for Kids to Social Waddle

Kids will find all kinds of games to play on the Internet, and it can be tough for parents to gauge if they're on web sites that are safe. My kids recently found their way to Club Penguin, where friends of theirs have been playing, and there really isn't anything not to like about it.

Club Penguin is a baby-steps introduction to social networking. Each kid has her own penguin, who moves around the club to outdoor and indoor fun games, such as sledding races, hockey games, and shops.

Picture a brightly colored, cutesy, oh-so-safe Second Life for kids between the ages of 8 and 14. It was created by parents who wanted a safe online gaming community for their kids. There's no advertising on the site. Kids can accept buddies and IM them, either with pre-written messages or in their own words. But my 9-year-old showed me, without my asking, ways kids can report if another member is divulging personal information or saying things that make them feel uncomfortable. No one ever does, my 13-year-old assured me.

This is what my kids like about it: It's a colorful, fun world that's easy to move around in and compete with other "penguins" in sledding races and other games, eat at a pizza parlor, and buy "puffles," fluffy pets to care for. 

You can hang out and play on the site for free, but for a $5.95-a-month subscription, kids get more options, including buying furniture to decorate igloos, buying clothes for their penguins, and "adopting" more puffles.

This is what I like about it: Last night as I was working, my girls were in the same room on computers on Club Penguin, meeting each other to race on a snow hill. They were smiling, laughing, and getting along—something that doesn't happen all the time for sisters four years apart, trust me. It was fun to watch.

Club Penguin has been awarded the "Editor's Choice" award by the Children's Technology Review Magazine and is a partner of NetSmartz. It's a fun place, requiring no downloads, for your kids to play games and learn how to social network in a safe, smart way.

Related links:

Imbee Gets Okay from Web Wise Kids
If You Don't Know a Tagged from a Bebo