High Tech Household

When I was a child, the Internet was something that existed solely on military bases and at universities.  As I entered my teenage years, managed services such as Compuserv, Prodigy, and America Online became popular.  These services allowed parents to manage what type of content their children could and couldn’t view, and gave children a somewhat structured environment in which they could harness the new online world without much danger of running into inappropriate content.  When the Internet came into the forefront, parental controls became much more difficult.

While many companies over the years have created content filters, keystroke monitors, and other types of parental control software, the internet experience is still primarily an adult experience.  Yet kids grouwing up today get online earlier than ever, and there is a rich world of content for them to explore geared towards them and their unique needs.  Enter KidZui, a new Internet Browser service geared specifically for kids.

KidZui goes beyond most content filters by presenting an Internet Experience specifically geared towards Primary School children.  It blocks suspect sites and gives kids the ability to create their own avatars, and aggregates web content geared towards childrens’ unique educational and entertainment needs.  The site also acts as its own kid-geared social network, allowing for interaction between kids who use the site.

The site installs either as a stand-alone program for Windows XP/Vista, Mac OS X, and as a plugin for FireFox, so it can work on any platform that supports a FireFox browser.  Installation was easy, and accounts can be set up for multiple children within the same household with ease.  Accounts on KidZui are free, although a premium service is offered that gives more parental controls, but the free service offers plenty of content to keep your child safe from inappropriate content, yet educated and entertained as they explore the world of the Internet.