We’ve been proud of features in the past, but the latest feature we’re here to announce truly breaks new ground: Zoodles violence filtering.
Here’s how it works:
1) You read how we rate the games.
2) You choose what rating level is right for your child.
3) We take care of the rest.
Zoodles will only include games in your child’s Toybox that respect your settings.
Why we built it
If you do a Google search for “violence filter,” you’ll quickly realize what a huge need there’s been for something like this. A combination of all the filters out there will probably get you something that filters gambling sites, pornography, adware, pop-ups, chatrooms, and even social networking sites like Facebook and Myspace. All this and more, but not violence. And even if, after hours of searching, you found one, it would predictably be just like the others – essentially a big on-off switch. With issues like gambling and pornography, an on-off switch probably makes sense. But with violence, there are wildly varying opinions on what’s appropriate and what’s not appropriate for children of different ages.
It comes down to this. Parents have preferences when it comes to the media that their children consume, whether it’s their book at bedtime, the show on TV, or their favorite site online. When it comes to movies, parents have no choice but to rely on the G-PG-PG-13 rating system developed by the Motion Picture Association. It’s not great, but it’s something. It’s a universal standard that all shows and movies are held accountable to.
There’s no equivalent universal rating system for your child’s media content online. So how can a parent feel confident that their children are safe? The answer is, they don’t. They let their kids go online, but with the deep, nagging fear (only worsening as their kids grow older) that something will slip through - that new content will be put on the site, or that their kids will wander somewhere new, somewhere they don’t belong. Even the parents who do their fair share of homework screening sites ultimately have to take a leap of faith about what brands they can trust, and can only hope that they live up to their kid-friendly promises.
Here at Zoodles we’ve taken it upon ourselves to be the place online you can trust. Any time we add content to Zoodles, we take into consideration its educational value, its entertainment value, and its appropriateness for children. But even a team of thousands would fall short in knowing your child as well as you do. Parents know best. That’s why we not only pre-screen all our content and restrict your child to these pre-approved sites, but we give you sublime control over what parts of this content make it through to your child. The violence filter is one more step in this direction. The way it’s been designed is simple: We tell you how we rate the games, and you choose what rating level you think is appropriate for your child. We take care of the rest.
To try the violence filter out for yourself, visit the Parent Dashboard under Education and Parental Controls. As always, let us know what you think!
With the Zoodles play timer, you can limit your child’s time online without having to constantly step in and feel like the bad guy. Zoodles does all the negotiating for you – as soon as your child’s time on Zoodles runs out, a big blue clock will appear signaling their time is up. The browser stays locked in full-screen mode, so your child can’t wander somewhere else online or click around on the computer. After a minute or so, they’ll be brought back to the original family log-in screen, so the brother or sister who’s been patiently waiting in the wings can get a turn!
With 10 minute, 5 minute, and 2 minute warnings, Zoodles eases your child off the computer and on to a new activity without the tantrum. The 
You can set time limits in half hour increments anywhere from half an hour a day to 8 hours a day, and you can set them differently based on whether it’s a weekday, or a weekend. What’s more, each of your children have their own unique play timer settings, so you can limit them differently based on their individual play patterns!
