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by Neil J. Rubenking
Kids today see their modern parents spending time on the computer, surfing the Web, playing games, and keeping in touch with friends via social networks—and they want to play, too! But especially for the youngest, unlimited access to the computer that holds all your financial information, programs, pictures, and so on is just a bad idea. KidZui 5.0 ($7.95 per month, direct) lets kids use the computer without exposing them to the seamy side of the Internet or putting local programs and files at risk. It's great for toddlers and preschoolers, but older kids will chafe at its limitations. Introduced in spring of 2008, KidZui now boasts over a million registered kids and parents. This latest version offers even more ways for kids to safely interact with each other and with their parents. A free edition gives kids access to almost all KidZui content but limits their ability to personalize the experience. Paid subscribers get parental reporting and activity monitoring.
Kids today see their modern parents spending time on the computer, surfing the Web, playing games, and keeping in touch with friends via social networks—and they want to play, too! But especially for the youngest, unlimited access to the computer that holds all your financial information, programs, pictures, and so on is just a bad idea. KidZui 5.0 ($7.95 per month, direct) lets kids use the computer without exposing them to the seamy side of the Internet or putting local programs and files at risk. It's great for toddlers and preschoolers, but older kids will chafe at its limitations. Introduced in spring of 2008, KidZui now boasts over a million registered kids and parents. This latest version offers even more ways for kids to safely interact with each other and with their parents. A free edition gives kids access to almost all KidZui content but limits their ability to personalize the experience. Paid subscribers get parental reporting and activity monitoring.
Becoming Zui
Within the KidZui environment each kid creates an avatar called a Zui by choosing and coloring various traits. Head shape, eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and skin color define the Zui's body. Kids next add shirts, pants, shoes, hats, glasses, and even hobbies. To keep up interest, KidZui adds seasonal items. Right now a Santa suit, Christmas tree costume, and reindeer antlers are available. Also, the main page will occasionally offer a special item for a limited time only; last week it was a snowboard.
Creating those Zuis is part of the setup process, so you'll want the kids around when you first configure the program. After that, they're free to change their Zui's appearance at any time. Certain items display a lock icon; to unlock those, kids must accumulate points and reach higher levels. Gaining points is easy—they accrue as the kids enjoy the KidZui environment. (Yes, where some parental-control products put time limits on computer use, KidZui's point system does the opposite.) Free users can accumulate points, but they don't "level up."
After KidZui launches at startup, the child just clicks the correct Zui image on the login screen. Password protection for kid accounts is optional but hardly necessary. Kids can easily log out to let a sibling play, but can't exit the KidZui environment without the parental password. Keystrokes like Alt-Tab, Ctrl-Alt-Del, Ctrl-Esc and the Windows key are suppressed—I couldn't break out.
