Studies say that younger and younger children are using the Internet and spending more of their entertainment time online. According to Nielsen Online, time spent online among kids ages 2 – 11 has increased by 63 percent over the past five years. The current national average is eleven hours per month.
The Internet, however, is fraught with danger and inappropriate content. Many parents cannot personally supervise their children's online activities 100% of the time and thus are forced to rely on automated solutions to provide safeguards.
Proven products like Net Nanny and SafeEyes immediately come to mind, but newcomers like Peanut Butter PC and NoodleNet are also popular. None of these are free, however. In today's economy, many parents are looking for ways to cut expenses without compromising child safety.
San Diego, Ca.-based KidZui offers a free solution. The system consists of a custom web browser and a portal that provides access to more than two million kid-friendly Web sites, videos and pictures. The company says the combination of controls, carefully-selected content, and monitoring eliminates the need for constant parental supervision.
The downloadable KidZui Browser supports Windows or Macintosh computers and automatically blocks access to menu commands, contextual menus, keyboard shortcuts, and other means of accessing files or programs on the local computer. This prevents accidental file deletions or other mishaps that can occur when young children use a computer.
The browser can also be configured so it opens full-screen when the computer starts up and can't be closed without parental consent. Sources say the system is surprisingly secure, able to withstand an assault by even the most determined adolescent hacker.
Kids start by creating their own "Zui," an avatar that represents them when they logon or take part in KidZui's social networking functions. Each child has his or her personal account, which parents can administer from anywhere using a Web-based tool.
The portal is supposedly designed for ages 3 - 12, but the content does not adapt to the user's age or sex. As such, it's only enticing for younger children. No self-respecting pre-teen I know would be caught dead using an interface designed for a preschooler.
KidZui's team of trained educators and parents approves all content. Kids can also interact with other Zuis. The site allows them to express opinions and share content. All requests to interact are subject to mutual parent approval.
Also included are ZuiGames, a collection of free, kid-safe games, and ZuiTube, a You Tube-like site that offers nearly 60,000 parent and teacher approved videos.
The online service is free to all families but also a paid membership provides extra benefits. Membership costs $7.95/month (or $39.95/year, billed annually or semi-annually.)
Paid members enjoy greater Zui customization, such as changing skin color, hair color and style, eye color and shape, clothing and accessories, plus enhanced online reporting, email updates, expanded content controls, and more. They also have access to Homework Helper, a teacher-designed system that gives kids access to thousands of Web pages, pictures and videos matched by subject to every grade level from Kindergarten through eighth grade.
Features and attractions only available to paid members are nevertheless displayed in the browser, so it won't be long before your kids start asking you to upgrade.
This, I suspect, is no accident. The site is sponsored in-part by Mattel, which explains the Barbi and Hot Wheels sections, but there are no advertisements in the portal itself. Paid memberships are obviously the name of the game, unless the site moves to another business model.
Is KidZui perfect? No, but I don't know of any solution, paid or otherwise, that does it all. Nevertheless, the site's treatment of premium features -- putting big gold padlocks on attractions unavailable to kids with free memberships -- struck me as cruel, which is a shame, because otherwise KidZui is nicely done.
For a detailed look at KidZui's features and other information, click here.
