No matter how scared you might be of what your kid can find on the Internet, the fact is that kids are getting online younger and younger every day. The problem comes with making sure they only see kid-appropriate content—filters often don’t work, filter too much or are too easily disabled. Ideally a parent is with them every step of the way, watching over each click and page jump, but sometimes that just isn’t possible. That’s where KidZui, the Internet for kids, comes in.
This browser and Web site for kids, which launches today, is more than just a filter—download the browser and your kids can use KidZui to get online and go to more than 500,000 age-categorized Web sites. Each site has been approved by a team of parent and teacher editors. The “editors” are always looking for new kid-friendly sites, too, so the Internet available through KidZui is always expanding. Any time a site is blocked by the browser it is automatically submitted to be reviewed (and possibly added, depending on content).
Everything about KidZui is customized by age, so the sites available for a 5-year-old will be different from those for a 10-year-old. The KidZui homepage features your child’s individual avatar—called a Zui—which kids can customize by rating different sites and features of the browser for points (you get points whether the review is positive or negative). I got a sneak preview of the browser and have to say that it does work a lot like traditional browsers, allowing kids to search and click around to find what they’re looking for and more, but without the worry that they might stumble across something more appropriate for adults. You can easily search for photos and videos by clicking on the individual tabs at the top of the page and most of the navigation words also have photos next to them, making it easy for younger kids to click around.
There are really too many different features on this site to go into here, but from what I saw, it definitely looks worthwhile. KidZui is available for use and download on a subscription basis. You can try out the service for free for 30 days—after that it’s $9.95 per month or $99.95 per year. However, for a limited time with the new launch, memberships will be available for $4.95 per month, $49.95 per year. Go to www.kidzui.com for more information.