I appreciate all of the replies with lists of good and safe computer game websites, and plan to look into those. However, the kids mom already paid for and enrolled the 9 yr. old in Club Penguin. Has anyone had experience with Club Penguin, and has their child and others been able to "Chat" or "Blog" each other? There seemed to be 2 levels of "Chat". One is where you select pre-programmed statements or words to communicate with Penguin Friends who have previously asked if you'd like to be their Friend - such as, "Hey there!", "How are you?", etc. The other selection seemed to be for those who want to chat or blog with each others' penguins. I'm not sure how this selection is accessed (possibly paying for another level of membership?) but the ability fo chat or blog with other unknown or known people is my main concern.
The problem is that their mother (we're adopting them) paid for and enrolled the boy in the game, and he LOVES it. If anyone can tell me that the 9 yr. old does have the ability to chat or blog with their Mom, or strangers (probably other kids?), then I want to remove it from our computer
I believe there is a chat option where they can chat with any other Penguin on the site at the time. I honestly dont know the options for turning it off or blocking it. My son only plays the free part because I refuse to pay for video games. I think only if you have your daughters email can you use the parent controls
There is a parental control portion of the website that you can log onto that answers your safety concerns, gives you a discussion to have with your child, and allows you to change the privacy and chat options that your child is allowed to use. I don't remember now how to get into it, but it is on the main login screen when you help your child log in. This is how I changed the messaging options for my kids. :) They love the games and they can send the smilies to other kids they play games with, but I do not let them chat on there either...
My oldest is 11yrs and has played on club penguin since he was around 9yrs. It is a safe site. I played it with my son. Don't know about the messaging..sorry
Updated
My oldest is 11yrs and has played on club penguin since he was around 9yrs. It is a safe site. I played it with my son. Don't know about the messaging..sorry
You can play it without a membership.
The membership will run out eventually (did she pay for a month, 6 months or a year?).
Check out what a membership means:
http://www.clubpenguin.com/membership
As sites go it's very kid friendly.
You can set up a parent account to oversee your child's account.
I think you can specify which chat level they can use.
