2. VIRTUAL WORLDS AND
KIDS: MAPPING THE RISKS
REPORT TO CONGRESS
DECEMBER 2009
FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION
Jon Leibowitz, Chairman
Copy of the report can be found online at the FTC web site
3. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Ensuring that the age-screening mechanisms virtual world operators employ do not
encourage underage registration;
Implementing or strengthening age-segregation techniques to help ensure that minors and
adults interact only with their peers and view only age-appropriate material;
Re-examining the strength of language filters to ensure that such filters detect and eliminate
communications that violate online virtual worlds’ conduct standards;
Providing greater guidance to community enforcers in online virtual worlds so that they are
better equipped to: self-police virtual worlds by reviewing and rating online content; report
the presence of potential underage users; and comment on users who otherwise appear to
be violating a world’s terms of behavior; and,
Employing a staff of specially trained moderators whose presence is well known in-world
and who are equipped to take swift action against conduct violations.
4. In addition, the Commission recommends that
parents and children alike become better
educated about the benefits and risks of youth
participation in online virtual worlds. The
Commission is committed to ensuring that parents have the
information they need to decide which online virtual worlds
may be appropriate for their children.
5. WHO
Sasha Barab on MacArthur Grant for Quest Atlantis
“Properly designed games can offer worlds in which
learners are central participants; a place where the
actions of a ten-year old can have significant impact
on the world, and a place in which what one knows is
directly related to what they are able to do and,
ultimately, who they become.”
10. HOW
Quest Atlantis is more than just an online technology: it is a game
designed to provide teachers with relevant contexts to support
students understanding and application of academic concepts.
We support teachers with a teacher manual,
with professional development training,
with continual monitoring of chat,
with time-relevant blog entries,
and with technology support and
help in connecting students with other classrooms worldwide.
As a result of its study, the Commission suggests that virtual world operators make certain enhancements aimed at reducing the risk of youth exposure to explicit content, including:
