Taming the wicked web: Kidznet makes surfing childsafe

By MICHAEL FOREMAN

For many parents, the idea of letting their offspring loose on the net seems a bit like waving them off on some hopelessly premature OE.

While the web does open the door to a vast world that is as entertaining as it is educational, it is also infamous for dishing up the sort of content that even the most liberal-minded parents would prefer their children to not be exposed to - or perhaps just not yet.

It is a problem that has sparked a big industry in so-called parental control products. Safekids.com, a website which advises parents on safe internet use, lists dozens of such programs and services. But for many families these, mainly US-developed, solutions to the problem go too far.

From surveillance in the shape of "stealth monitoring" programs to blocking services that make an often futile attempt to censor the internet, some of these products parody the attempts by repressive Governments to keep surfing citizens in check.

A different approach has been taken by Auckland-based internet kiosk company E-Phone, which has teamed up with internet service provider VISP to deliver a service called Kidznet.

Instead of selectively blocking sites as Net Nanny or CyberPatrol do, Kidznet cuts children off from the internet completely - except for a database of approved sites.

It could be argued this is simply another form of censorship - similar to the line China is trying to take, for example - but it is likely to be more effective than trying to pinpoint rogue sites in a fast-growing and fast-changing environment.

On the face of it, Kidznet looks like a commendable product - it certainly provides value for money.

For $24.95 a month you get an "all you can eat" dial-up internet plan, and access to the Encyclopaedia Brittanica Online as well as thousands of Kidnetz-approved sites, divided into 2500 categories.

The content, which is accessed by Kidznet's own simplified browser, seems to have been selected largely by a Canadian company but has been augmented with additional material sourced from Australia and New Zealand. Most of the sites arranged in the broad categories of education, games, sport and "Little Kidz" are of universal appeal. Only the "Metro" category, which contains informative sites on such topics as places to visit, movie guides and the weather, is country-specific and this section does include a very healthy amount of New Zealand material.

Most of these broad categories are further subdivided according to age range - for example clicking on education yields a choice of sites for pre-school, primary, intermediate and secondary school levels, and there is a general reference section for all age groups as well as resources for parents and teachers.

Kidznet also includes its own online vet and even a child psychologist, as well as its own moderated chat room, but as this service is open only on weekdays between 4 pm and 7 pm Australian Eastern Standard Time (7 pm to 10 pm local time) it is of limited use to younger Kiwi kids.

Each site is ranked by a simple star system from one to three. Apart from a duplication that gave the same Pocohontas II site two different ratings, we found these to be realistic - with three stars being reserved for the cream of the crop.

Once you get used to it, the Kidznet browser is easier to use than the full-blown varieties, but sometimes the multimedia-rich sites it takes you to are beyond a dial-up connection. Kidznet is quite secure as all web requests go through Kidznet's proxy server, while adults can get full and unrestricted access to the net by using a separate password.

Of course it is possible to get around the blocking if you know your way around Window's internet settings, but if your children have reached this stage they are probably past the need for nannying on the net anyway.

Links:

Kidznet

Family Watchdog

The New Zealand Internet Safety Kit

Safekids.com

Yahooligans

Net Nanny

CyberPatrol

PC Time Cop