Index Debuts with Kids' Top Internet Picks for 2009

NEW YORK, Dec. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- iVillage, the largest content-driven community for women on the Web, and KidZui, the leader in making the Internet big, fun, and safe for kids, today announced a partnership around the release of a new Internet Index titled "Stuff Your Kids Love." The index, based on KidZui's award-winning browser and proprietary data, provides insights into the direct behaviors and interests of kids 3-12 years-old. It will be offered exclusively on iVillage on Monday, December 21, 2009. Also, as part of its partnership, iVillage will be making the KidZui browser available to its community free of charge, and KidZui will be integrating and featuring iVillage content to parents externally.

"Part of our mission is to deliver great applications to women, especially ones that can significantly impact their day-to-day lives," said Jodi Kahn, executive vice president, iVillage. At a time when kids are increasingly spending their time online, it is critical that moms know what they are looking at and how that may influence them."

Today, young kids are adopting the Internet at a faster rate than any other consumer segment in the U.S. In fact, Nielsen reported a 63 percent increase in time spent online over the past 5 years for young children. As a result, parents, educators, physicians and consumer brands are eager to learn more about what interests kids most and how best to maximize online screen time as an opportunity to benefit their lives offline. Now, through the "Stuff Your Kids Love" Internet Index, insights that range from top Web sites and favorite toys to favorite school subjects and top celebrity personalities will be made available to a mass audience.

The Index will focus on different themes throughout the coming months. The first one features kids' top Internet favorites for 2009. Highlighted below is a snapshot of the Index:

2009 Kids' Favorites

• Most visited Web site: www.PBSKids.org
• Most viral video: Cat Flushing Toilet Music Video
• Most searched public personality: Miley Cyrus
• Most searched musician/band: Taylor Swift
• Most searched toy: Barbie
• Most searched term: Games
• Most category visited: Games
• Fastest growing website: www.Poptropica.com

"As the media landscape continues to shift, entertainment consumption to digital platforms has become vital to learn as much as possible about the manner in which kids behave online," said Cliff Boro, CEO KidZui. "The 'Stuff Your Kids Love' Internet Index provides an excellent vehicle for not only further protecting our kids online, but empowering the Internet experience to benefit their growth and development in the long run."

In just eighteen months since launching, KidZui has become the leader in providing a safe and entertaining Internet experience for kids, and has fostered a thriving community of over 1 million and actively growing registered parents and children. As a result, KidZui is connected to the pulse of what interests young kids most online. Through their active community, KidZui has the ability to quickly engage their audience to source data and findings relevant to a broad range of mainstream and niche categories. KidZui's purpose is to keep kids safe online, empower their curiosity, and engage parents with their kids' interests to foster an active dialogue offline. KidZui has received numerous awards, including Editor's Choice Children's Technology Review, the Parents Choice Award and the Wired Safety Best of the Web Award.

About iVillage

With 28 million unique visitors per month (comScore, Nov. 2009), iVillage is the largest content-driven community for women on the web, where they can find the most meaningful content, real-life conversations and the tools they need for their busy lives. The site focuses on categories that best serve women's needs, including Food, Health, Entertainment, Family, Beauty & Style. Additional businesses and brand extensions within iVillage Networks include iVillage UK, NBC Digital Health Network, NBC Digital Networks, Astrology.com and GardenWeb. In addition, iVillage enjoys a strategic partnership with BlogHer, the leading participatory news, entertainment and information network for women online. iVillage Inc., acquired by NBC Universal, Inc. in May 2006, is based in New York City, and is part of the NBC Universal Women & Lifestyle Entertainment Networks Group.

About KidZui

KidZui (www.KidZui.com), the Internet for kids, is the leader in making the Internet big, fun, and safe for children ages 3-12. What Google, YouTube and Facebook are for grownups; KidZui is for kids. The Company's flagship offering is the revolutionary KidZui Browser, a small application that downloads easily on PCs, Macs, and computers with FireFox. The KidZui Browser was designed from the ground-up to allow children to safely and independently search, share and discover more than 2 million parent and teacher approved websites, pictures, games and videos. KidZui's purpose is to keep kids safe online, empower their curiosity, and engage parents with their kids' interests (through weekly parental emails and parental controls). In addition to the core service, the KidZui Web Network includes ZuiGames (the best site for child-appropriate flash games on the web) and ZuiTube (the best site for kids to watch and explore kid-appropriate YouTube videos). KidZui is backed by Emergence Capital Partners, First Round Capital, Maveron and the Scholastic Corporation. The Company is headquartered in San Diego, California.

SOURCE iVillage

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