KIDZUI RESEARCH FINDS 86% OF PARENTS SAY INTERNET INCREASES CURIOSITY IN KIDS
96% of Parents Think Children Should Experience the Internet Early
San Diego, CA – March 27, 2009 – Research conducted by KidZui, The Internet for Kids (www.kidzui.com), reveals that safe, free exploring of the Internet increases curiosity in children. To celebrate its one-year anniversary, KidZui compiled statistics on how kids use its service and surveyed parents’ feedback about kids and the Internet. The results were illuminating. 86% of parents surveyed said that using the Internet increased their kids’ curiosity and desire to learn. KidZui user behavior supports parents’ impressions. The average 5 to 9-year-old child visits a staggering 135 different Web sites a month using KidZui, versus just three to five sites before using the service, when Web surfing was highly restricted by anxious parents.*
KidZui surveyed 1000 parents whose children use KidZui to gain insight into the impact of the Internet on their kids. User statistics and top search terms were drawn from the last 12 months of KidZui usage.
The KidZui Internet for Kids Parent Survey found:
· 79% of parents think the time their children spend on the Internet is valuable
· 86% of parents think that using KidZui to explore the Internet encourages their kids to learn and discover new things on their own
· 56% of parents said that using KidZui to explore the Internet has increased their kids’ curiosity about the subjects they learn in school
· 43% of parents said that using KidZui to explore the Internet has helped their children gain independence
· 71% of parents said that using KidZui to explore the Internet contributed positively to their children’s happiness
Parents have benefited beyond their children’s newfound Internet independence and curiosity. The survey also found that, despite the fact their kids now spend more time on the Internet, parents’ anxiety about their children’s Internet use dropped significantly when they used KidZui. Before using KidZui, only 17% of parents never worried about kids being online. By using KidZui, 70% of parents now never have anxiety about their kids’ being online.
In reviewing how kids have used KidZui, KidZui found that in February 2009:
· 5 to 9 year-old visited 135 sites and watched eight videos
· Kids used KidZui an average of 3.8 times a week, for 34 minutes each visit
· Kids spent an average of 8.61 hours a month on KidZui
In the year since launching:
· Kids have placed more than 4 million tags (a rating system) on content
· Kids have shared more than 1.5 million pieces of content
· Content on KidZui increased from 500,000 games, website, videos and pictures to more than 1.8 million
“It turns out that kids are even more curious than most adults; most parents don’t explore 135 different websites monthly,” said Cliff Boro, CEO of KidZui. “When you give kids a web browser designed just for them that provides access to a vast world of discovery – they demonstrate their appetite to learn and grow.”
To mark its one-year anniversary, KidZui is launching an updated version of the Internet for Kids that is extremely fast and now includes 1.8 million websites, games, pictures and videos, reviewed and categorized by KidZui’s editorial team.
KidZui also evaluated the most popular search terms and content channels for the past year, with interesting insights into what kids are curious about:
· The Amazing Animals and Science channel received more visits than Hannah Montana.
· Sites about the Olympic Games were viewed more than High School Musical.
· Information on Dinosaurs and Tornadoes was looked at more than Bratz dolls or the Jonas Brothers.
· Content related to “civil rights leaders” was visited 15,979 times, just 24 visits less than Taylor Swift.
· Kids were more interested in Astronomy than Transformers.
· Spelling sites were visited more than Spider-Man
· Content about Barack Obama was more popular than Santa Claus
Built for kids ages 3-12, KidZui makes surfing the Internet safe, fun and engaging. With KidZui, children can independently access more than 1.8 million websites, games, pictures and videos, reviewed and categorized by KidZui’s editorial team. KidZui’s parent and teacher tools give them complete control of their kids’ online experiences. Weekly emails give parents and teachers a summary of the sites their kids have visited.
*The KidZui focus group was conducted by Madeline Schroeder, a founder of Mighty Play and leading expert in children’s products and Internet properties. The focus group included both parents and children and focused on Internet safety and usage.
Free Entertainment for Kids on Spring Break “Stay-cation”
In these tough times, a lot of families are opting for Spring Break “stay-cations” instead of big holiday trips. But if you’re staying home, it can be hard to keep the kids entertained and out of trouble. Many parents are naturally cautious about letting their kids loose on the Internet, but there is a lot of good, free, appropriate content available online – if you know where to look. Here’s a list of 10 web sites to surf on KidZui that can help your kids beat Spring Break boredom if they’re staying home.
Best Set-and-Forget Web Environment for Kids
· KidZui – KidZui is actually not a Web site at all – it’s the Internet made just for kids. It gives kids access to millions of Web sites (including all of the below), YouTube videos, games and photos that have been vetted by a team of parents and teachers. Kids love the cute little avatars they can create and the safe social networking features, and parents love the fact that there’s no chance of enquiring minds stumbling across anything inappropriate.
Best Web Sites for Kids
· Club Penguin – A snow-covered virtual world where children play games and interact with friends in the guise of colorful penguin avatars.
· Lego.com – Ideal for the Lego fan, your child can watch Lego comics and movies, play games and construct their own Web page to show off their creativity.
· Nick.com – Your child can pledge to save the world, play games, check out the latest news on SpongeBob or create a virtual life on Nicktropolis.
· PBSKids.com – With games themed around Sesame Street, Clifford, Curious George, Arthur, Barney and other kid classics, your kids will have fun “interacting” with their favorite characters.
· Poptropica – This virtual online world lets kids create a character, play games, compete with other kids and travel between islands on a blimp to explore new areas.
Best Online Game Sites for Kids
· Cartoon Network Games – With more than 200 games featuring favorite cartoon characters, your kids can hunt monsters with Scooby-Doo, play Ninja Survival or follow the Path of a Jedi.
· Funbrain – Part of the Family Education Network, the site provides educational activities for parents and teachers, as well as interactive games to help your kids with math and reading.
· Funschool – This site, provided by Kaboose, is designed for elementary-age kids and offers free educational games as well as printable activities, coloring sheets and craft projects that will help your kids learn while having fun.
· Hot Wheels Games – For car fans, Hot Wheels has dozens of vehicle-related games that let kids drive through mazes, race friends and solve puzzles.
KidZui’s Cliff Boro believes that parents needn’t be afraid of letting their kids use the Internet. “The Internet is a wonderful tool that, when used appropriately, provides endless hours of free entertainment for the whole family,” he says. “And more than that, it’s a great way for kids to learn and discover new things without even realizing it!” And what parent wouldn’t approve of that?
KidZui Referral Program
Share KidZui and receive a $10 Amazon gift card, for every 10 friends that sign up! The KidZui referral program is only available to valid KidZui users before March 17th, 2009. Check your email for details and a personalized KidZui link to participate.
Official Rules:
· 10 valid sign up’s only. In order for a friend to count as referred, he or she must be invited to and register for KidZui between March 17th 2009 – April 30th 2009. Each friend that registers with a unique url code counts towards the entrants grand total. Limit of 1,000 friends can be invited.
· No fake submissions or SPAM: KidZui has, at its discretion, the right to disqualify any individual who tampers with the entry process or any entry where referrals are not considered to be real or are considered “fake”. A “fake” referral includes but is not limited to the following:
o Sending unsolicited emails to strangers or people you do not know. Any SPAM complaints will result in immediate disqualification and removal from the KidZui referral program.
o Using temporary, fake, or unused email addresses as “referred” friends.
o Using any email account which is less than 20 days old.
o Using the phrase “KidZui” or “KidZui referral program” or any variant in any type of paid or search advertising.
o Having the same individual sign up multiple times with different email addresses.
· Prize: Within 30 days of 10 friends registering for KidZui with the specified link, all eligible KidZui users will be contacted to obtain their emailed gift card. Those who qualify will be notified via email. Gift cards are not redeemable for cash. Terms and conditions of gift cards apply.
· US residents only. This promotion is open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington, D.C., who are 18 years of age or older as of March 16, 2009. Void outside the 50 United States and D.C., and where prohibited by law. All federal, state and local income taxes on prize are the sole responsibility of the winner.
· By participating, winner releases KidZui and its affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, agents, and employees, from any and all liability with respect to all aspects of the promotion and/or use of any prize. Winner further agrees to the use of his/her name, and city and state of residence for purposes of providing a list of winners to the public on request and for advertising and promotional purposes without further compensation, unless prohibited by law.
· KidZui reserves the right, in its sole discretion to cancel, modify or suspend this promotion, should fraud, virus, bugs or other causes beyond the control of KidZui corrupt the administration corrupt the administration of the promotion.
· KidZui is not responsible for computer system, phone line, hardware, software or program malfunctions, or other errors, failures or delays in computer transmissions or network connections that are human or technical in nature.
· Employees of KidZui Inc. and their families are not eligible to participate.
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