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KidZui

Web browser designed for children

KidZui was a web browser designed for children developed by KidZui, Inc. The KidZui browser used a Zooming User Interface paradigm to make browsing easier for children. Search results appeared as scaled-down images of websites, videos, and pictures that children click on to zoom in and see the content. Children can also browse by category without typing search terms.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

Jan 1, 2006Founded1

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KidZui was a web browser designed for children developed by KidZui, Inc. The KidZui browser used a Zooming User Interface paradigm to make browsing easier for children. Search results appeared as scaled-down images of websites, videos, and pictures that children click on to zoom in and see the content. Children can also browse by category without typing search terms. The KidZui browser did not access the open Internet. KidZui uses teachers and parents to screen content and maintains a database of approved URLs. The KidZui browser could only access URLs in the approved database. Children built avatars called Zuis to represent themselves online. They earned points for web browsing and used points to gain levels and buy clothes and accessories for their Zuis. Children could share KidZui content with friends online. To add a friend online, children needed to know the friends Zui name. There was no online directory of Zui names, so children needed to get their friends Zui names offline in order to add them. Friends also needed to be approved by parents before they become available in the browser. KidZui also tracked children's Internet usage and sends reports to their parents on what their children looked at online.2

How it started

History and development

KidZui was started in 2006 when Vidar Vignisson was frustrated because he couldn't find a safe and easy way for his own children to use the Internet. Vignisson joined with Cliff Boro and Thomas Broadhead to create KidZui. Prior to founding KidZui, Vignisson, Boro, and Broadhead had been partners on other Internet startups including Infogate, which they sold to AOL Time Warner in March 2003.

Vignisson was frustrated by the approach of existing technologies that were available at the time; online filters helped keep out dangerous content, but could only be used in conjunction with adult browsers, which are hard for children to use. Existing children's browsers were easier to use but had access to very small amounts of content. Vignisson, Boro, and Broadhead set out to build an easy-to-use children's browser with access to a large and diverse set of online content and activities.

KidZui is a venture backed startup. Investors include Maveron, Emergence Capital, and First Round Capital.

Prior to founding KidZui, Vignisson, Boro, and Broadhead had been partners on other Internet startups including Infogate, which they sold to AOL Time Warner (later Time Warner, now WarnerMedia) in March 2003.

KidZui began beta testing with children in 2006. KidZui was released to the general public on March 19, 2008 to generally favorable reviews. The original release of KidZui required a paid subscription. KidZui experienced some early criticism for not offering a free version of the product. The company released a free version on June 4, 2008. The free version of the product offers the same features as the original subscription-based product. KidZui introduced a membership program that same month. The membership program unlocks additional features in the kids’ browser and comes with more advanced reporting features for parents.

From Wikipedia’s article on KidZui, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Leadership

Who has led KidZui, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Products and brands

  • web browser

Listed on Wikidata.1

Timeline

  1. Jan 1, 2006Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2