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Safe Searching

Project Chapleau Team

A search engine is a program that searches internet files and sites for text or images containing keywords entered into the search field. The two most popular search engines are Yahoo and Google.

While search engines can be used by children to research topics for school projects or general interest, they can produce sites which are inappropriate for children. There are two ways to deal with this issue, some search engines can be customized to filter out adult sites. The other option is to use search engines specifically for children, which automatically filters out adult sites.

Filters

It is important to note that changing the filter settings on search engines is not 100% effective. The effectiveness of the filters depends on their maintenance as new websites are constantly developed.

Yahoo Filter

To filter out adult sites on the Yahoo search engine:

  1. Go to http://search.yahoo.com/search/preferences
  2. Select "filter out adult web, video and image search results"
  3. Click the "Save Preferences button"

Google Filter

To filter out adult sites on Google:

  1. Go to http://www.google.ca/preferences
  2. Select "Use Strict Filtering"
  3. Click the "Save Preferences" button

Search Engines for Children

It may be safer for children to use search engines designed for them as these search engines automatically filter adult content, are more user friendly for children, and some even provide search results only from sites that are geared towards children. Here is a list and description of some commonly used search engines for children:

  • Yahooligans (http://www.yahooligans.com ) Designed for children ages 7 to 12, Yahooligans does not search the entire web but only a handpicked listing of sites for a match. The advantage is adult material is less likely to appear but the disadvantage is the search may be too limited and sites with good information may not be searched for a match. Yahooligans, launched in 1996, is one of the oldest children's search engine and directory.
  • KidsClick! (http://www.kidsclick.org ) Created and maintained by Librarians, KidsClick is a search engine and directory of approximately 5000 websites.
  • LookSmart Search Engine: (http://search.netnanny.com/ ) LookSmart is the parent company of Net Nanny, a company that provides internet software and services to block inappropriate material. The LookSmart search engine uses Net Nanny software to filter results from the Wisenut Search Engine, which is also owned by LookSmart. The Kids Directory contains over 20,000 children friendly websites that have been evaluated by LookSmart editors.

 



   Search Engines


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