I'm amazed at my kids' abilities on the computer -- with minimal help, my 3-year old can zip through games and his favorite websites with almost intuitive ease. And my 6-year old? He's Google-ing away about koalas or bugs and searching for Ben 10 videos on YouTube, so I typically am glued to the computer with him to make sure his exploring doesn't go from innocent to PG-13 or worse. For example, in prepping for this review, this morning I searched for "Hannah Montana" on Google -- likely a popular search topic for young girls -- and the 4th result on the page linked to recent "racy" photos of Miley Cyrus, the tween star of Hannah Montana, that popped up on MySpace. Not exactly what I'd want a young girl to come across.
KidZui, a new browser and service designed for 3 - 12 year olds, brings edited versions of the web to users based on age. So, my 3-year old is presented with age appropriate games and videos without lots of text that he can't read, while my 6-year old gets content tailored to his level.
Using a custom "Zui" (aka avatar), kids can explore and get content recommendations from more than 500,000 sites, pictures and videos reviewed by KidZui's editor panel (made up of parents and teachers). They can even invite friends (with parent approval) to share links and favorites. Parents can login to a web-based account anytime to see what each child has been doing: time spent, search terms and sites visited. Parents can also approve sites not included on KidZui or blacklist sites and categories.
We've been testing KidZui for about a month, and it's become an intergral part of our household. Not only do I feel secure that my boys are browsing safely, but that they can explore the Internet, similar to how I use it, in a way that encourages learning.
KidZui Browser for Kids - $4.95 / month or $49.95 / year at KidZui.com. To try free for 30 days - click here.
April 25, 2008
I loved this service. My daughter uses it everyday and claims she likes it. I like how there are reports sent to parents that informs them what there kids are looking at. The only thing I would improve are more kid friendly sites to choose from.
My daughter loved it. It gave me time to do things while she played. I did not have to worry about her clicking thing she was not allowed to because kidzui took up the whole screen. There was one thing I wish was diffrent my daughter is 4 and can’t read yet so it would have been nice if the side bar menu would say the words when the cursor went over them.
I have to say that my boys love it. It kept them busy the whole time they were on the computer. I think it is great for kids to use. You don’t have to worry about them going places that they shouldn’t.
I think it’s great. My son was able to safely use the Internet without me needing to sit at the desk with him to make sure he wasn’t clicking on something inappropriate.
I didn’t have to worry about my son. I really like the idea of him being safe on the internet. Yes, I watched him still, but I wasn’t breathing down his neck.
My oldest really liked it. My youngest didn’t get on it much but enjoyed watching his older brother on it.
Our five year old son is something of a computer prodigy, so finding a way to keep him out of his father’s important documents has been of the utmost importance to us. We’d tried another product that claimed to keep kids out of the main computer interface...and while it did that, it also didn’t allow the firewall and virus protection to load on start up. Not good!!
Kidzui, on the other hand, does allow those programs to load, keeps the boys (we have an eight year old as well) from going places they just shouldn’t go, and it keeps our younger son from messing with his father’s stuff!
The interface of this program is top notch. Both boys love customizing their Zuis’ clothing, hair, shoes, and the overall look of their account. My husband and I love that each of our children has content that is age appropriate for them, and that we can control what they see. While the Kidzui folks may see some sites as appropriate for a five year old or an eight year old, we may not, so it’s a major bonus that we can specify what’s ok for them to look at.
Another tester commented on wanting more kid friendly sites. This is another aspect of Kidzui that I simply love. If the site hasn’t been approved by Kidzui, you can approve it yourself. Once you do that, it’s automatically sent to Kidzui for review and possible addition to their list of sites!
Yes, we love this program. For us, the cost per month is definitely worthwhile. As soon as our trial is up, we will be subscribing!
Great ! My grandson is able to fully use this and loves it. Thanks to whomever “started” it. As usual Modern Mom’s comes up with just the best stuff for us to try. Mom’s and Grandma’s love you guys :0)
Is it okay to give tea and juice to toddlers? My husband and I totally disagree. I think she should just have milk or water. Get the Answer
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I gotta say its a great service. My son loves it. And I can be sure he is safe while playing online games that he likes.