For those blissfully ignorant of the phenomenon of Dr. Phil in the US, the psychologist-turned-media-property has a show in which he helps people with problems to overcome them using pop psychology keywords ("Get Real" is his catchphrase, exactly what people in trouble need to hear) and public humiliation. Think Jerry Springer with a degree.
Anyway, it seems that virtual worlds have caught the attention of Dr. Phil and on one of his recent programmes, he identified hanging out in them as a "shocking teen trend". Why? I'll let his website spill the dirt:
Lezlie says her 13-year-old daughter, Lexie, spends more time in a virtual online world than in the real one. She recently caught Lexie's scantily clad online persona kissing her "boyfriend," and fears the teen has gone too far.
As a friend argued, change the words "virtual online world" to "mall" and you'd recognise the trauma many parents experienced when my generation was growing up.
Anyway, if you're interested in how Dr. Phil attempts to "fix" Lexie, head to the Shocking Teen Trends site. The virtual world item is after illegal street racing and before auto-erotic asphyxiation.
