The Center For Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California has announced a panel titled "What Are Kids Learning In Virtual Worlds?" It's being presented in conjunction with MacArthur Foundation and Common Sense Media, and appears to be a bit basic in nature; from the event site:

Club Penguin, Whyville, The Sims, Second Life.
You've heard these names, what do they mean for kids?
Hear from a panel of experts as they discuss:

* What are kids really doing in virtual worlds?

* How are they learning?

* What does this mean for parents and educators?

This conference is specifically being held to create a balanced conversation between parents, educators, researchers and media. People with an interest in child development, virtual worlds, and the effect media is having on children, will benefit from the information provided in the panel discussion.

Similar events have been cropping up all over the place; it seems like an encouraging sign, in a nascent industry, that early on the use by children as separate from the use of adults is being discussed regularly; perhaps it may allow the online worlds industry to cope effectively and avoid some of the controversy that often plagues the worlds of film, television and video games.