About one in four American children ages 3 to 17 years old participates in virtual worlds on the Internet. This means every month about 8.2 million children play games on websites like Webkinz and Club Penquin, according to research by Nielsen NetRatings.

By 2011, the same researchers estimate that about half of all American children will participate in computerized worlds of animals, games and avatars.

Labels: internet, virtual_worlds