Category: Online Safety for Kids

It’s one thing to turn on Google safe search, as it’s fairly easy to do with a couple clicks of a mouse, but if you have kids searching the internet you will also want to turn on safesearch settings and lock it so it can’t be turned off again.  The Google SafeSearch locking feature through a Google account is no longer available so we’ll explore all the options available to help keep your kids safe.

Safe Search Settings

Everything you need to know about protecting your family while they search the web is contained within the resources laid out by Google for families.  One of these tools related to our subject of this article is how to turn on safe search using Google Family Link.  Before we explore it, here are some instant solutions you can choose from to implement safe search settings to ensure strict internet filtering of Google.

1. Make Safe Search Kids your Home Page

Safe Search Kids is our website. It is the one you are now on as you read this article.  Our safe search settings are not dependant on any browser your kids may be using.  Simply make our site you home page or bookmark it on any device.  You can also click the bookmark tab at the of https://www.safesearchkids.com.  We are a kid-safe search engine that ensures strict internet filtering for every search entered, as long as that search is done from the top right section of our website.  You’ll also notice additional  search tools, such as safe images, wiki for kids, and video search.

2. Download the Safe Search Kids App

With this solution you you may wish to delete all browsers from your child’s device and have them only search from the app.  The safe search app is available for use on multiple devices after downloading it from a designated app store. It works with iPhone, Andriod and Kindle Fire.   With this app safe search settings are is always turned on when searching Google. Kids simply open the app to freely explore the web with safety.

3.  Install Parental Control Software

Parental controls as software installation or app download provides complete control of internet content.  You don’t have to worry about how to turn on a devices safe search settings or Google safe search, much less what browsers are being used.  Our recommended parental control app, Qustodio, includes website blocking, screen time management set to specific times of day, social media monitoring, monitoring of texts and control of what apps are downloaded or uninstalled.

The Qustodio Parental Control App:

1. Download and install the Qustodio app.
2. Follow the on-screen instructions to create an account and set up profiles for your children.
3. Within the app, you can manage various settings, including enabling Safe Search for your child’s device.

When installed on all of your home’s devices, all porn is blocked.  All questionable websites are blocked.  You can block the use of certain social media networks, as well as app installations.  You will be able to set different levels of filter depending on the age of each user.  Parental control apps will also allow you to limit screen time to a certain amount of hours per day or during specific hours.  All of this control and more will be available to you from within your parental dashboard.

Google Family Link

The latest Google option for online protection is Family Link, which allows you to set digital guidelines and encourage healthy online habits as they learn, play and explore.    The goal is to guide them to good content while you manage their screen time.  You can also locate your child as long as they are carrying their mobile device.  Explore these options by downloading the app for Apple or Android on Google Family Link.  Scroll down to the bottom of this page to watch and latest information about Google Family link for 2020

Kids need extra filtering and guidance, that’s why it’s important to set up restrictions beyond the basic level of safe search on Google’s main search engine page.  As you experiment with various searches on Google, you’ll see the filtering of words, topics and images only goes so deep.  Even Google states it is not 100% accurate.  It helps to filter the most blatant material but there is still plenty of search results that will not be appropriate for kids.  This is where our website comes in.  Safe Search Kids has additional filtering that is very strict in what it allows through.  Compare search results on our safe search engine, as well as Safe Images, Wiki for Kids and Safe Videos.

Getting Started with Google Family Link:

1. Download and install the Google Family Link app from the Google Play Store.
2. Follow the instructions to set up a Google account for your child and link it to your account.
3. Manage various settings within the app, including enabling SafeSearch for your child’s device.

Google Family Link Explained (Video Tutorial)

• Check your device compatibility
• Or go directly to download on iPhones or Android.
• Explore complete parental controls for iPhone, Android and Kindle Fire using this parental app.

Google Kids Space

Using a Google account and Family Link, parents can set up Google Kids Space for each each of their children. You need a Google account.  Kids Space is managed within Family link to provide younger children safe access to pre-screened apps, games, books, and videos. Kids Space is only available for children under the age of consent as determined by the country they are living in. This isn’t a place where they will be free to surf the internet.

After children reach the age of consent, they can manage their own account if their parents permit them to. This means kids will be able to control their own settings. For example, parent supervision will turned off, including settings that have to do with downtime, allowing or blocking apps, location sharing, content that were previously blocked may be available to watch. Some Google Play settings will also change.  Go give older children more autonomy, but still maintain overall access of online activity parents will need to use a third party parental control app.

More about our Safe Search Settings

In additional to our Google filtering on Safe Search Kids, we also provide the additional search tools.

Safe Image Search:  What’s unique about our image filtering is that the websites hosting the images in our results are also screened. This increases the level of security because all of the website hosting the images are already deemed safe for kids. In fact, many of them are educational sites ending in .edu or government websites ending in .gov

Safe Wiki for Kids:  On the Safe Wiki Tab, all search results appear on our partner ‘Wiki for Kids’ website. So, it’s not Wikipedia, nor is it the Simple Wikipedia version, Wiki for Kids is a Wikipedia site created just for kids. Safe Video Search:

Safe Video Search: And finally, we have the Safe Videos tab. Just like Wiki for Kids, video search results are from our own partner run safe video website for kids. All the videos are filtered to ensure no questionable videos show up in search results.

The content filtering on any our safe search tabs is very strict, so if a bad term is entered users will see a blocking logo. At this point they can enter a new search term above. We encourage you to bookmark our website for easy access to all of our search features. We also have many online safety resource articles for parents and educators, as well as articles written just for kids.

How to Set Up Safe Search Settings on Android Phones

Using Google Search App:

Open the Google App: Launch the Google app on your Android phone.

Access Settings: Tap on your profile picture or initial in the top right corner to open the menu. Select “Settings.”

Go to Safe Search: Under the “Settings” menu, tap on “Hide explicit results.”

Enable Safe Search: Toggle the “SafeSearch” switch to the “On” position. This will filter explicit content from your search results.

Using Google Chrome Browser:

Open Chrome: Launch the Google Chrome browser on your Android phone.

Access Settings: Tap on the three vertical dots (menu) in the top right corner and select “Settings.”

Privacy and Security: Scroll down and tap on “Privacy and Security.”

Safe Browsing: Tap on “Safe Browsing” and select “Standard protection” or “Enhanced protection.” This setting helps protect you from dangerous websites and downloads, indirectly contributing to safer browsing.

Using Google Search Website:

Open Browser: Open any browser on your Android phone and go to www.google.com.

Access Settings: Tap on the three horizontal lines (menu) in the top left corner and select “Settings.”

Search Settings: Under “Search Settings,” find the “SafeSearch filters” section.

Enable SafeSearch: Check the box next to “Turn on SafeSearch” and scroll down to the bottom of the page. Tap on “Save” to apply the changes.

How to Set Up Safe Search Settings on iPhone

Using Safari with Screen Time:

Open Settings: On your iPhone, go to the “Settings” app.

Screen Time: Scroll down and tap on “Screen Time.” If you haven’t set it up yet, follow the on-screen instructions to enable Screen Time and create a passcode.

Content & Privacy Restrictions: Tap on “Content & Privacy Restrictions” and ensure the switch is turned on.

Content Restrictions: Tap on “Content Restrictions,” then select “Web Content.”

Limit Adult Websites: Choose “Limit Adult Websites” to restrict access to adult content. You can also add specific websites to the “Always Allow” or “Never Allow” lists.

Using Google Search App:

Open the Google App: Launch the Google app on your iPhone.

Access Settings: Tap on your profile picture or initial in the top right corner, then select “Settings.”

General: Under the “Settings” menu, tap on “General.”

SafeSearch: Toggle the “SafeSearch” switch to the “On” position. This setting will filter explicit content from your search results.

Using Google Chrome Browser:

Open Chrome: Launch the Google Chrome browser on your iPhone.

Access Settings: Tap on the three horizontal dots (menu) in the bottom right corner and select “Settings.”

Sync and Google Services: Tap on “Sync and Google Services.”

Safe Browsing: Toggle the “Safe Browsing” switch to “Enhanced protection” or “Standard protection.” This helps protect you from dangerous websites and downloads, contributing to safer browsing.

Conclusion

Enabling safe search settings on Android derives or iPhones is a straightforward way to protect users, especially children, from encountering explicit content online. However, any basis settings are usually insufficient.  By following the steps outlined above, you can create a safer browsing environment, but not completely safe.  Any protective measure will reduce the risk of exposure to harmful content, but only strict filtering using a kids safe search engine, resources like Google Family Link, or parental controls will ensure robust protection of children online.

In today’s digital and always-online world, children are increasingly using the internet, and the trends predict that the numbers are only going to rise. The right time to talk to your kids and teens about cybersecurity is now. According to a 2015 study by Child Trends, 60% of children aged 3-17 used the internet at home, a steep climb from 11% in 1997.

Another study by The Center for Parenting Education found that kids and teens aged 8-28 spend about 44.5 hours in front of digital screens each week. Children are starting with the internet early, and it’s a parent’s job to add safeguards and filters to ensure a safe online environment.

Ways to Achieve Cybersecurity

However, parents can’t do it alone. The children need to be included in the discussion about cybersecurity and how to stay safe online.  Like it or not, the internet can be a dangerous place, and they can get caught in it. The web can help kids with their homework or research, and there’s no denying that it’s a game-changer for education. But there are bad actors and predators out there, lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce at the most vulnerable members of society – children.

Here are the most critical topics you need to discuss with your children.

Passwords

If your kids are old enough to create and manage their accounts, talk to them about the importance of using strong passwords. The general rule is to use a combination of 8-12 upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Never use the same password for everything, because if one account gets compromised, all accounts will follow suit. Also, refrain from using personal information like names, pet names, street names, and birthdays.

Using a password manager can help store and encrypt all passwords, so you don’t have to memorize them. Make sure that you write down the master password and keep it in a secure location. Please don’t take a picture of it or save it on your phone.

Sharing Personal Information

Talk to your children about sharing too much personal information online, such as photos, videos, names, birthdays, and other sensitive data. Educate them about the fact that anything that they share or post online will be on the internet forever, so private social media posts must remain closed. Talk to them about the criminals looking to steal their information for identity theft, and the predators who will try to manipulate and exploit them.

Sex offenders like to collect photos and videos of kids, while some are known to trick children into believing they’re the same age as them. Most are violent and will spew obscenities regardless, so let your child know that anytime he or she feels threatened or uncomfortable while online, to tell you immediately. Getting an identity theft monitoring service for you and your children can help mitigate the risks of identity theft.

Viruses and Malware

Threat actors embed malware everywhere – software, apps, videos, and even websites. These are like bombs waiting for a trigger, and in most cases, the trigger is the user. While making sure your computer devices are equipped for proper cyber security, talk to your child about the dangers of downloading files online, clicking links from social media posts or unsolicited email, and visiting infected sites.

These may contain malicious programs that will install itself and infect the device, stealing sensitive data, or corrupting the entire system. Phishing attacks via email target anyone, and if an attacker gets your child to give up the network password, all your devices will be in jeopardy.

Also, warn your child about illegal movie streaming websites that are loaded with malicious ad popups and viruses. Install security software on all your devices and always keep the antivirus and firewall activated. For additional security or if you are running a business on a network, learn more about what the best hardware firewall is for your needs.

Using Unsecure WiFi

Your kids need to know that public WiFi is not secure and hackers lie waiting for the most vulnerable devices to exploit. Even if an establishment like a mall or coffee shop has a WiFi password, the attacker can get it too if he’s there enjoying a latte.

For added safety and peace of mind when using free WiFi, get a trusted VPN (virtual private network) service and use it on all your devices. A VPN creates a tunnel that encrypts your traffic, hiding your real IP address and location from anyone snooping around. Even your ISP won’t know what you’re doing online.

In a Nutshell

The internet is everywhere, and reality dictates that your child will encounter a facet of the online world sooner rather than later. While the internet is a fantastic place where kids can learn anything under the sun, the parameters of having a borderless online world coupled with freedom and anonymity are what makes the situation a scary one for parents.

The fact is, the internet is an unsafe place despite all the good stuff about learning and discovery, which is why every parent should start educating their kids about cybersecurity at the earliest opportunity.

Daniel William is Content Director and a Cyber Security Director at IDStrong. His great passion is to maintain the safety of the organization’s online systems and networks.  

He knows that both individuals and businesses face the constant challenge of cyber threats. Identifying and preventing these attacks is a priority for Daniel.

Many schools use our website to provide Google SafeSearch for safe filtered search of the internet. Our tools also include safe image search, wiki for kids and safe videos.  Now you can directly install the Safe Search App on any of your mobile devices for worry free access. Every filtered search happens within the app.

When users click on a website that appears in the search results, the user remains within the safety of the app.  Bottom line, any child using the app, whether they be a preschooler, tween or teen, has easier access to our safe search for kids tools.  Searching on the app ensures that filtered results are not part of a web browser.

Important!  Our free safe search app is not the same as a parental control app.  If kids use another mobile browser to search the web, content will not be filtered, but the app still goes a long way to provide strict filtering of Google.

Safe Search for Schools:  If not using our website for safe browsing, install this app for safe search results on mobile devices.  Alternatively, schools can download parental controls for use on any device in the classroom.

The Safe Search App – Downloads!

If you have an iPhone, iPad, Android smart phone or tablet such as Google Chrome, download The Safe Search Kids App for easy access.

To download these apps on your phone or tablet, you must reading this article on the device where the app will be installed.  Or go to www.SafeSearchApp.com on your device before clicking the links. 

Download the Safe Search App for iPhone/iPad – iOS devices.

Download the Safe Search App for Google Play – Android devices.

Download the Safe Search App for Kindle Fire / Amazon.

In addition to filtered search results of the entire internet using Google, the same search tools we feature on our website are available on the app.

Safe Image Search

Safe Video Search

Wikipedia for Kids

We encourage you to continue to use our website for safe search results enhanced by Google through KidzSearch.  I if you are on a computer or laptop that wasn’t created for app downloads. Bookmark this page and conduct of all your web searches on the top of this page for strict web filtering.

• Additional safe search features new include safe online games and safe app search to ensure downloads are not compromised.

Download the Safe Search Kids APP for Mobile Devices, enhanced by Google. For these links to work, access this article through your mobile device or go to SafeSearchApp.com from your mobile device.

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Safe App Update:  Our Safe Search partner is working on a new product for the KidzSearch app that will let parents and schools (teachers) remotely monitor what kids are doing. It will also control the filtering on the app. An update for the Android version was just release that checks each url for safety.  It blocks harmful bad url’s by going against a very large database of sites that are not safe for kids. It also enhances parental controls for YouTube by looking at the specific video title/category and checking safety.

If parents remove all browsers from their phones or tablets, it greatly improves the safety of their device. The previous version of the app gave safe search results, but it is possible to get to a search engine, like Bing, and then find adult content through it. For example, they could use Wikipedia to find a link to Bing. This new update on the app stops that from happening.  For more parental control settings on your devices, explore our free parental controls guide for complete Internet safety.

The next phase will include an upgrade where parents can monitor history and do other things, like entirely block sites they don’t like, as well as control the search strictness level.  More details will soon be posted.

Click the banner below to download the Safe Search App for the device.

Finding fun games, learning cool new things, and talking to your friends is what the internet is for. But just like in real life, you have to be smart and safe. It might seem silly to think about safety when you’re on the web alone in your room, but it’s important to make sure you’re trusting the right sites and people.

Unfortunately, some bad people on the internet may try to scam you out of money or your, which can cause a lot of problems.

You might also pick up viruses or malware, which will load your computer with advertisements or misleading links.

(This article is directed at kids, but parents can pick up some knowledge too).

How to Be Safer Online

If you and your parents discuss ahead of time which sites and activities are okay, you’ll run into far fewer problems. For an easy way to stay on the right sites, ask your parents to make a folder with links to all your favorite websites saved inside. That way, you won’t accidentally go somewhere else.

This applies when you’re at school too. Just because your parents approve of something doesn’t mean your teachers will. Schools are usually a little more watchful of websites and may even have blockers for specific sites or searches.

Social media and apps

Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social media sites can be a great way to connect with friends and people with similar interests, but it’s also where a lot of trolls set up camp. Keep your social media profile private and your circle small.

When it comes to apps, you can usually spot a bad one by how it’s advertised and how often ads pop up. Sometimes you can make in-app purchases and upgrade to remove ads, but you should get these approved by your parents.

Don’t talk to strangers

You’ve probably heard this before, but the easiest way to stay safe online is by only friending, following, and talking with people you know in real life. Although you can stay mostly anonymous in chat rooms, it’s important to remember that others can, too, and a stranger can easily pretend to be someone they’re not. With this in mind, it’s worth it to approach every chat with caution.

Sometimes a stranger will seem friendly, but then they’ll ask for something in return. Don’t click any links they send, and don’t give out any of your personal information. What counts as personal information? Things like your name, family, address, school, or anything else that can help them identify you.

If you do plan to visit stranger-filled sites, make sure to check with your parents and ask them if anything seems fishy.

Don’t reply to people with weird usernames

A friendly “Hi” with a heart emoji might seem harmless, but when it comes from a username like puppycutie88398, it’s probably a sign that it’s spam (messages meant to scam people). You can tell a username is fishy because it has random numbers, usually combined with two common words or names.

Strange usernames and strangely-phrased messages are a good indicator of spam. These spammers could be trying to sell you something (and perhaps steal your money by selling a fake product), steal and misuse your personal information, or build a friendship initially order to scam you later.

Either way, sometimes simply responding gives these people (or sometimes robots) a sign that they might be able to hack into your information, and that could lead to more requests. Ignore these messages altogether and avoid future problems.

Turn off location settings

One of the easiest ways to make sure you’re not being tracked, or that a post won’t reveal where you are, is to turn off location settings. Most of the time, apps and social media site like Facebook will ask for permission to share this info first, but it’s always good to double-check your settings.

Set up privacy settings

When you take the time to make sure your online profiles are private, strangers are less likely to bug you. Sometimes it might not even seem like a big deal to post a picture online of you and your friends, but an online predator might catch on to what schools or parks you hang out at.

Parental controls are less about taking away your freedom and more about protecting you. If something that’s blocked seems fine to you, ask your parents if they approve of it and they can remove the block.

Have fun learning more about how to stay safe online with
Sammy’s Guide to Internet Safety

Additional online safety tips:

• Popular apps are usually safer by nature, but with more people comes more potential for problems. Even if an app itself is safe, the users may not be, so use caution no matter which app you’re using.
• Any time you have to put in personal information beyond a username or email for an account, get a parent involved. You should avoid putting in your address, payment information, or any other personal info on your own.
• Make sure to turn on safe search filters for Google and other search engines, especially when looking for images. Some questionable content may come up just because it has a similar name to what you’re searching for, so safe search filters can help weed out things you don’t want to see.
• Now that we’ve learned a bit about how to stay safe online, keep reading to discover how get the most out of the internet for all types of learning!

Do your part to promote online safety.  Learn more about Safer Internet Day!