The first time I used the Internet was Christmas 1996, two months shy of my 11th birthday. Nowadays kids are checking their Facebook accounts right after escaping the womb. Sensing a “new and burgeoning” market, Fisher has come out with the Easy Internet Launch Pad. Essentially a kids toy, the device lets soon-to-be Internet addicts view Web pages of familiar characters like Elmo. Kids place the character onto the pad, which launches their Web site. I guess Elmo has a MySpace or something. The Web sites are authentic and not some pseudo walled garden thing; access to other Web sites is restricted by the software.

Easy Link requires a Windows PC with an active Internet connection (duh), and enough faith in your child to introduce the little bundle of joy to the Wild West that is the Internet. It’s cheap, too, at only $30.

Now the Internet is America’s babysitter, replacing the TV of my generation.

Product Page [Fisher Price via Ubergizmo]