  
Kids' Browsers and
Services
|
August 3, 2004
By Jay Munro |
| Major ISPs, as well as a few
smaller services, are now offering parental controls, site filtering, and
environments designed specifically for kids. These services will block
content whether you use their browsers or a different client. And most let
you subscribe to and use their parental controls with another ISP. |
Editors' Choice: The Children's Internet
|
August 3, 2004
|
| If your main concern
is to offer a completely safe, kid-friendly environment for your child, you
may want to consider a different approach. Designed specifically for kids,
The Children's Internet is an ISP that provides an entirely safe Web
experience for children. The service uses a proprietary browser—complete
with a lively look and fun links—and a whitelist so that there is no chance
an unapproved site will accidentally slip through. |
AOL KOL, AOL RED and AOL RED Plus
|
August 3, 2004
By Jay Munro |
Product: AOL KOL, AOL RED and AOL RED Plus
Price: $14.95 a month and up with any existing broadband service.
Company: America Online Inc., www.aol.com
Editor Rating: 
|
|
|
America Online now provides specialized environments for
kids, all included with regular accounts at no extra cost: AOL KOL for
children 12 and under, AOL RED for teens 13 to 15, and AOL RED Plus for 16-
and 17-year-olds. Its filter, which uses artificial intelligence, did a very
good job in testing. Parents can set controls on up
to seven accounts. Each service is customizable and provides content
tailored to the intended age group. KOL, for example, offers educational
content, flash cartoons, and interactive games. Instant messaging is
disabled by default, but kids can access supervised chat rooms. AOL RED
offers an edgier environment, emphasizing entertainment and relationships.
Web access is filtered for violent, mature, and adult content. AOL RED Plus
offers full access to AOL content, IM, and e-mail. It does, however, block
sites with adult and violent content. Parents can get activity reports and
set an access timer for all users. |
MSN Premium 9
|
August 3, 2004
By Jay Munro |
Product: MSN Premium 9
Price: $9.95 a month with any existing broadband service.
Company: Microsoft Corp., www.msn.com
Editor Rating: 
|
|
|
MSN Premium 9 doesn't provide a special browser, but it does offer
kid-oriented content, parental controls, and filtering options that can be
configured for up to ten users. Parents can limit downloads and set approved
IM and e-mail contacts. MSN has some of the best Web filtering we've seen,
but itdoes not filter IM, chat, or e-mail content. MSN offers weekly
activity reports but lacks monitoring and time management features. |
EarthLink Parental Controls
|
August 3, 2004
By Jay Munro |
Product: EarthLink Parental Controls
Price: Broadband, $45.95 a month.
Company: EarthLink Inc., www.earthlink.net
Editor Rating: 
|
|
|
EarthLink Parental Controls lets parents create up to eight
profiles and designate each as Young Child (age 8 and under), Preteen (9 to
11 years old), or Teen (ages 12 and older). Its kids' browser is required
for children under 12 and limits the youngest group to approved sites, while
the preteen group can surf anywhere that isn't blocked by EarthLink. Teens
can use a standard Web browser. For e-mail, chat, and other communications,
parents can block or allow access, as well as limit communications to a list
of approved CyberFriends. |
The Children's Internet
|
August 3, 2004
By Jay Munro |
Product: The Children's Internet
Price: $9.99 a month with existing service.
Company: The Children's Internet, www.childrensinternet.com
Editor Rating: 
|
|
The Children's Internet is a fun browser designed for kids.
The license is limited to a single PC but supports an unlimited number of
users. The desktop is locked down, so kids and parents must log on to the
service. The styles of the animation and sound effects are set according to
the user's age, while Web browsing is limited to approved sites. The only
problem is that The Children's Internet lacks features like time management
and monitoring.
|
