Frequently Asked Questions: FOR PARENTS Back to Main FAQ Page How does this site appeal to small children? Is Webkinz World safe? Is KinzChat safe? What are some tips on managing my child’s time in Webkinz World? How does Webkinz World promote learning? Is the Wishing Well and the Wheel of WOW gambling? Why does the Webkinz Studio allow personal information to be entered! How does this site appeal to small children? The Webkinz web site has been designed for users aged 6-13+ and is intended to include content for all ages and levels of computer skill within that range. We have designed our site to reach the widest possible audience within that range. We understand that some of our games and jobs may be difficult for younger users, but our research and experience has shown that our younger audience can quite enjoy the site with the support of an adult. That said, we have designed some of our games and jobs for younger children. Both the Fence Painting and Shoe Store Clerk (both memory games) have proven fun and achievable by younger users. In the Arcade, we recommend Wacky Zingoz and Tulip Trouble 2. Younger users can also enjoy all of the non-game methods of making money, including the Wheel of WOW, Wishing Well and the Care Award, and best of all, the 5-6 year old questions in Quizzy's Question Corner – over 1000 age appropriate, curriculum-based questions that make KinzCash faster than any of the games. We hope that this information will help you and your child continue to enjoy Webkinz World as much as we do. Is Webkinz World safe? Yes. The Internet can be an unsafe place, and this is why we have made the safest possible chat system available. Our chat is constructed, so users can’t type in whatever they want. Nothing inappropriate can be said, and there is no way to exchange any personal information. Normally only people you know will have your username, which is needed in order to add someone to your Friends list. You can make new friends through the Tournament Arena, and users may guess your username, but you can always decline their offer to join their Friends list, or delete them at any time Is KinzChat safe? We at Webkinz World understand your concerns. The internet can be an unsafe place, and this is why we have made the safest possible chat system available. First, users cannot chat with you unless they are added to your friends list. If you get a request to join your friends list from a user that you do not know, rejecting that request will prevent any chat from occurring. You can also delete any user from your friends list at any time, and we will remove you from the other user's list as well. Also note that nowhere in Webkinz World can another user discover your user name. Users may guess a user name, but we do not display them anywhere on the site. Finally, our chat is entirely constructed. There is no way for a user to type what they want, nor ask or say anything inappropriate to any other user. We control everything the users are able to say. We have designed our dictionary of choices to put safety first. There is no way to exchange any personal information of any sort. What are some tips on managing my child’s time in Webkinz World? Webkinz World is a wonderful place to play. It is a safe, friendly, and imaginative environment for children to enjoy. Because Webkinz World is so much fun, it can be difficult to limit your child’s time on the computer. Here are some tips about how to limit your child’s time in Webkinz World: Use Webkinz World as a reward. Your child will be able to play in Webkinz World AFTER he or she has finished their homework, done their chores, etc. Decide what you believe is an appropriate amount of time for your child to be on the computer and discuss it with your child ahead of time. Set a timer, if need be. When the timer goes off, so does the computer. Encourage offline play with the Webkinz plush toy; encourage your child to draw pictures of the rooms they’d like to design, make pictures of their Webkinz pets (scrapbooks are lots of fun), and have parties for the Webkinz pets. Invite some friends over in the real world and celebrate Webkinz! How does Webkinz World promote learning? Webkinz World is a great place to learn and play! Your child can learn lots of fun facts at Quizzy’s. The questions at Quizzy’s are age-appropriate, and most are educationally based. We also have several arcade games that promote learning: Booger Gets an A promotes addition skills Lunch Letters helps children to learn how to type and spell Quizzy’s Word Challenge aids in spelling Operation Gumball encourages children to think logically Webkinz Newz and the W Tales encourage reading, and our many contests encourage writing, creativity, and problem-solving. Your child can also learn about money in Webkinz World; by earning KinzCash, your child learns how to save and spend money. Webkinz World also helps to teach children about responsibility, caring for a pet, and getting along with others. Is the Wishing Well and the Wheel of WOW gambling? Webkinz does not endorse, nor condone gambling. Webkinz does not contain ANY gambling. Gambling requires that a player put in a wager to play, and hence have the chance to lose that wager. Webkinz members can not lose KinzCash playing any of our games. There are no wagers involved at all. While the Wishing Well and Wheel of WOW use visual metaphors that are sometimes associated with gambling, there is no gambling involved. They are merely a method of giving out random prizes to our members. They are our version of giving out a door prize, a thank you just for showing up. As kids love getting free prizes, naturally these features are highly popular on our site. We do take concerns of this nature very seriously and welcome suggestions on how to improve our site, including these features. Why does the Webkinz Studio allow personal information to be entered! Please note that only you can see what you write in the Webkinz Studio. There is no way for others to see the movies you make with the Studio. When you are visiting a friend in Webkinz World, you cannot use their Studio, and they can not use yours. We will have contests where members like you can enter their movies and if they win, they will be put on TV so everyone can watch them. Rest assured that we will not let any movie that is rude, has bad words or has personal information win the contest.