Second Stop - Google has a Safe Search Filter

My second stop on the journey to identify solutions for making the Internet a safer place for my kids – and anyone else – to enjoy brought me to the search giant Google. Turns out that Google has a feature that simply screens out from search results adults oriented materials! Now, before you bash me claiming that everybody knows it, I asked three different parents and none of them knew what I was talking about.

Everything online these days starts at Google. Homework, friends, shopping, games… you name it. We do it, our kids do it. We Google first, ask questions later. But a naïve search can bring back horrific results with what is dubbed as adults materials but can actually be anything from brutal to extreme porn or much worth. With Image Search it’s much worth.

And the solution? Google has Preferences that can be saved. Just nest to the search window click on Preferences, scroll down to SafeSearch Filtering and choose between three options:

(1) Moderate Filtering – according to Google, “excludes most explicit images from Google Image Search results but doesn’t filter ordinary web search results”. Note: it filters only images, not the regular textual web search. This option is supposed to be the default, but you should check it out; also – it may not be enough (see results of a test below).

(2) Strict Filtering – well, if you’re strict, this will also filter your regular textual search results.

(3) No Filtering – well, just disables the feature; and this is probably how your Google is actually set and the reason for your kids to learn about… well, things that can wait a little longer.

Direct Link: www.google.com/preferences.

How do I know? The status of the SafeSearch Filter is shown under the search area in the Image Search page (only ON / Off); you can click it to get to the preferences page.

Test Results: I search for images with the word “oops” as the song goes. With No Filtering, I got images of most human organs – mostly female – showing through, behind and without any clothes. With Moderate Filtering I got some accident images, cartoons, one baby with food all over his face, but – the first results were all female organs uncovered, although with more covers than without the filter. With Strict Filtering I got cartoons, the baby with the food, and other slightly funny images; no adults oriented images.

Recommendations? First, know about it – Google has a Safe Search filter. Second, check if it’s off; if so – ask yourself, if I didn’t change it from the default On, who did and why? Third, consider turning the filter on to the level that suites your taste; and then make sure your kids don’t change it.

How do you make sure your kids don’t change the filter settings? That’s a different story. I will look for solutions and post them here…