Helping Kids When They Play Free Games Online
Child Friendly Disney, Barbie, and Nick Jr. Sites Require Guidance
Sep 2, 2009
The Nick Jr., Disney, and Barbie websites offer a great service to children and parents by offering games with favorite TV characters such as The Backyardigans, Polly Pocket, and, of course, Barbie.
Preschoolers can easily spend an hour playing memory games, dress-up, or coloring while parents fold laundry, wash dishes, or take a shower.
While the above luxury of an extra hour is an ideal situation, children should not be left alone with these family-friendly sites the first few times they are using them. While the games and activities are free, there is much advertising by way of banner ads that look like more games and activities to children.
Some Nick Jr. and Disney Ads Come up Without any Help
Games on NickJr.com are played on a second pop-up page. While playing such games as The Backyardigans seashell memory game, a short video ad may play on the first page for a household cleaning product or toy.
This can be very confusing for kids, especially if the volume is too high since the ad plays louder than the game.
Disney's homepage plays videos that appear in small segments. They initially look like fun shows for the kids, but they are usually promotional material about Disney shows that play for their older demographic at night.
Barbie.com's Video Section is not What it Seems
One great aspect of NickJr.com is that the videos that are played show actual episodes of Max & Ruby and Dora the Explorer, as well as many others. There are advertisements with each show, but less than currently on television.
If parents leave the room before the video page loads on Barbie.com, they'll be leaving their children in the midst of pure commercial advertising. Upon their return, parents may encounter an early holiday wish list.
While it is not dishonest to call these commercials videos – they are in the video medium – it is deceptive, and serves as one reason among many that children need assistance when using the web.
Banner Ads Look Like More Fun Games to Kids
When kids are on these sites, most icons lead to fun games, videos, and art activities. It is only natural that these sites will have banner ads showing related events and activities.
When children click a banner ad, another page may pop up, disrupting their fun. Since this will occur even with kids more familiar with these sites, parents should stay nearby to aid their children before cyberspace leaves them stalled, looking for something else to do before they are done watching their show or playing their games.
Online gaming can be both fun and safe for kids. The Nick Jr., Barbie, and Disney sites help keep it affordable and diverse with many varying activities for kids to take part in. With safety not being an issue on these sites, children should still be supervised so as to gain the most enjoyment and utility from their online experience.
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