An article by Shaun Conlin, entitled “Webkinz seeks younger pals for plush virtual pets“, describes one of the newest ventures by Ganz to extend its popular Webkinz product to those who have yet to get that reading thing down. Webkinz Jr. features the same concept as its more established older sibling, specifically the combination of plush, adorable, tangible play things with a strong virtual component. As alluded to above, Webkinz Jr. differs in its literacy prerequisite. While still providing a wonderfully detailed world of learning, fantasy, and creativity, the world of Webkinz Jr. is filled with bigger icons, a less complex GUI (Graphic User Interface), and text prompts that have been replaced by cheery voice prompts.

Whether we like it or not, this increasingly fast-paced, internet-driven world — generally more easily navigable by today’s youth — will soon and perhaps already plays a major role in shaping our children’s social and intelletual potential. Debatable, perhaps, is at what age do we expose our youth to online world?

No Comments »