Kids and the Internet Part 2

Kids and the Internet PART 2: USC hosted an event last week to look at the educational role of virtual worlds like Teen Second Life and Whyville.net. The message from local professors speaking at the panel: Online worlds and games like Club Penguin definitely provide learning opportunities. But they are also encouraging kids to become good little consumers.

"If you're a parent, I would be much less concerned about things like online predators or violence, then I would be about the conflation between consumption and consumerism and citizenship (in virtual worlds). Because our kids are being taught that to be a good citizen of this world you got to buy the right stuff," said Doug Thomas, associate professor at USC's Annenberg School of Communication.

CNET News.com covered the event. Here's their full story.