From our friends at Viacom comes the latest development in the Tron-itization of today's youth, according to yesterday's Mediaweek: Nicktropolis, Nickelodeon's new so-called Second Life for kids. The new virtual hangout space for tech-savvy rugrats allows kids to do all the stuff the big wired kids do: create avatars, hang out in virtual bedrooms, visit virtual stores, go to virtual amusement parks, and — most important — chat online with virtual friends. Also this:

Besides spending their time exploring, Nicktropolis offers a variety of multimedia options for its intended nine- to 14-year-old audience. They can listen to Nick.com radio stations, play numerous games and watch videos — either in a Rec Room located in Downtown Nicktropolis on virtual TVs they have purchased using points, which serve as the virtual world's currency.

Got that? This is a technological innovation that allows kids to sit in front of a real-world computer screen and use that computer to watch a virtual TV screen. Presumably, the option for avatars to display signs of childhood obesity and ADD will be part of Nicktropolis 2.0.

Nicktropolis [Nick.com]
Nickelodeon Launches Nicktropolis Web Playground [Mediaweek]