How and Why You Should Limit Your Child’s Time on the Webkinz Website

Are you the parent of a child who would like to have a Webkinz pet?  If you are, you may be looking for more information.  At first glance, the Webkins animals look just like traditional stuffed animals and plush toys, but they are much more than that.  Your child’s plush animal comes with a tag that has a secret code.  This code can unlock a virtual world where they are able to adopt an online version of their plush pet and care for it.

As neat as the Webkins pets sounds, you may be concerned.  After all, the internet can be easy to get addicted to.  Unfortunately, many parents make the mistake of assuming that internet addiction is only a problem that adults face, but it isn’t.  Children, even those young in age, have the ability to get addicted to the internet.  That is just one of the many reasons why you should limit your child’s time on the Webkinz website.

Another one of the reasons why you should limit your child’s time on the Webkinz website is because you don’t want it to end up running your child’s life.  This is similar to developing an internet addiction.  What is nice about the Webkins pets, namely their virtual world online, is that your child can play games and take quizzes to earn “cash.”  This “cash,” allows them to take care of their adopted online pet.  They can buy furniture, medicine, food, and other accessories.  This setup sounds neat, but it also leads many children to spend as much time online they possible can.  Make sure that your child’s home life and schoolwork comes first.

Another one of the reasons why you should limit your child’s time on the Webkinz website is so that they don’t get bored too quickly and too easily.  As previously stated, your child gets to adopt and name a virtual version of their plush animal.  The constant playing of games on the website and the taking of quizzes can make the game seem boring really easily.  The Webkinz website is actually really neat.  It teaches your child the importance of goal setting, responsibility, and money management.  This is a lesson that your child can and should learn; therefore, you will want to them to use the Webkinz website, but in the proper way.

Now that you know a few reasons why you should take steps to limit your child’s time on the Webkins website, you may be curious as to how you can go about doing so.  One of the best approaches to take is to create a set schedule for your child.  For example, you can let them use the website for a half hour three days a week.  This is one of the easiest and safest ways to keep your child from developing an online internet addiction.

As it was previously stated, you not only want to keep your child from getting addicted to the internet, but you also want to prevent the virtual world from overrunning their life.  For that reason, you can let your child use the Webkinz website as a reward.  For example, once they finish their homework, eat all of their dinner, or do all of their chores, you can let them gain access to the website.  If the night was already a scheduled night to use it, consider giving your child an additional five or ten minutes if they had a good day.

As you can see, there are a number of reasons why you should limit your child’s use of the Webkins website, as well as a number of easy ways to do so.  As a parent, you should know that Webkins pets are good for your child, as they can teach them about money management and reasonability.  With that said, the website should only be used in moderation, as you don’t want your child to take the virtual word too seriously, as there are a number of dangers when that happens.