Are zebra finches good pets for kids?

If they are set on having birds, zeb's, budgies, society finches, canaries and cockatiels each have as many plus and minus points, just different ones. Choice would depend on the age of the kids, how much space you have (aviaries or cages), how many you'd want, if the kids wanted to breed some, if they wanted something hand-tame, etc etc etc. Being realistic, especially for very young kids, pet mammals are probably better than birds, particularly if mum and dad aren't birdy-inclined themselves - mammals can escape but at least they can't fly. As horrific as it might sound to many people, tame rats are absolutely great pets for young kids - they are usually very friendly, never bite, and can be as good a friend to any kid as they'd ever want from a pet.