Disney’s Dreamland for Online Predators
In the last 4 years I have learned more about online predators, for both children and adults, than I ever really wanted to know.
Lately my kids have been bugging me for cellphones. I have been firmly saying "no." They don't really need them yet. "But, Mom... so & so has one." I just look at them and continue to say "I know you really want one but you don't need one. Not this year, no." This is always followed by the attendant whining and gnashing of teeth. Don't worry - I am immune to such machinations.
I am not enamored of cell phones myself. Mine has been very handy and when my children are at school or away from the home its on. If someone I know or family is in crisis or ill, its on. Otherwise - it's off. As is the ringer on my home phone. If the kids are with me and its not urgent, I am incommunicado. If I am doing advocacy work & working with a victim, at a conference or learning session, Torah class, etc. - no phone.
My kids also started bugging me about getting email and chat. I did get them a kid safe, free email program. They had to give me the password so I could check on it. One of my kids' friends then talked them into trying Club Penguin. Stars from the Disney Channel push it in commercials endlessly. Last month, I got them a one-month membership.
Club Penguin is a cute program that my kids really enjoy - but it seems every time I check them, there's someone texting "I need a man" or "any single girls here"? What's to keep an adult from signing up as a child? My children, thank goodness - avoid those members (I know because I have a 'Net Nanny'). But I worry about the day when they ask for a MySpace or Facebook account (which is out of the question for them right now). Hopefully the law will have caught up with the technology. I am not being too careful though - you can't be.
Then I saw this article, I thought I was the only one paranoid about Club Penguin. Well, my kids still have their accounts and I still monitor it at all times. For now...
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by: "ugly_american"
Disney has been trusted by millions for years as family friendly entertainment. Perhaps it is time for everyone to reconsider that impression. They have a site that most people with children have seen advertised on Saturday morning cartoons called ToonTown (http://play.toontown.com/webHome.php). It is supposed to be designed for seven year old children but can be so involved and complicated that it easily frustrates an adult. Indeed, I have played it myself for several years and quite enjoy it. All the adults in my family play it but my young children long ago lost interest. It is still a great site and good fun.
In order to chat with people there other than using the “speedchat phrases” requires that you be friends outside of the game. Even then the conversations are monitored carefully and revealing any personal information can result in suspension of your account. You cannot even say what city you are in. All in all, it shows a bit more than necessary care to avoid any chance of a child coming to harm. Parents cannot even chat about their children with people who are “true friends”. That is almost funny since all of the people I have as “true friends” are close real world friends or family. It costs $9.95 a month and I would definitely recommend it to any who want an online game but are not into “World of Warcraft”. But it also becomes very incongruous when you look at another Disney site that is more obviously attractive to young children.
I ran the other site they offer called Club Penguin through the guest services site and thought it looked more suitable for my young daughters. The format is more cartoon-like and the graphics are not as sophisticated as those in ToonTown. The games are also not as complex and the tasks are much easier. It at first seemed perfect for my children. I did not count on the predator friendly format. It was Disney, after all, right? Maybe not…
My ten year old lobbied me heavily to pay the $5.95 a month for her to have a full account at the site. I said no because I already have two ToonTown accounts and that can get expensive. One of our friends gave it to her as a Christmas present and then I got a huge shock: It does not seem to be monitored except for profanity. It is so open that my middle child wondered if one could get away with using foul language. The account was suspended immediately when she tried it, proving there is some limit. I considered it understandable that she would want to try it because some of the penguins have permanent thought bubbles over them looking for people to have a date with. (Example: “Any single guys out there looking for a date?”) I do not want my elementary school age girls seeing that sort of thing. At their age most boys have coodies anyway.
I am not sure yet how much personal information you can pass from one to another, but my oldest tells me people can say almost anything in private quarters of the game. Within five minutes of logging in as a full member there were people asking my ten year old for a date. This inspired me to let my eight year old give the dirty word a try to see just how far they would let it go. I am almost relieved that it is suspended because who knows what kind of perverts they might run into with the liberal enforcement of rules we found there.
Perhaps the time has come for Disney to examine what kind of rules they should really enforce. I received an email telling me that my ToonTown account was suspended for sharing personal information with a secret friend on December 31, 2007. (It was pure Granny chat as in “My kids are this age and SO cute! You did not know I have seven?” Besides, she is 70 years old and I have known her for years). I replied contritely to Disney that I was sorry, had carefully read their terms of service and would endeavor never to do it again. I no longer feel at all apologetic but rather am now totally outraged at Disney’s double standards.
Later that same day was when my daughter’s Club Penguin account became active and I was absolutely flabbergasted to see how easy it would be for a predator to become good friends with my child. I then sent Disney another email with absolutely no contrition demanding an explanation for the disparity in enforcement and Disney has as yet declined to respond. I told them I think that parents should know what type of people are coming into their Club Penguin, but I don’t suppose they are really concerned. It is for this reason that I call on major news outlets to investigate this and would encourage the internet predator units of law enforcement to get involved as well. Considering this, I have to question how many other Disney sites are Dreamland for sexual deviants. They now all deserve to be carefully examined before something really goes wrong.
But beyond all else, I caution parents to keep their kids away from Club Penguin or at the very least monitor their children at all times on the site. There are very obvious adults there whose intentions don’t appear to be at all benign. Disney seems to think it is more important to micromanage the talk between carefully vetted friends than it is to keep obvious predators from having access to children on another site that they run. Perhaps it is time that parents gave serious consideration to whether Disney is still really trustworthy for family friendly entertainment.
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