Search Engines for Kids
As a parent or if you have children in your home, you may have asked yourself how you can keep your child safe online and if there are any search engines specifically tailored for kids that you can trust. There are several options that are uniquely designed for kids with Internet safety as a priority.
Yahoo! Kids
Yahoo! Kids is the brain storm of the Internet pioneer, Yahoo! Specifically tailored for kids from the ages of 6 to 12, Yahoo! Kids was launched in 1996 as “Yahooligans”. With the mission to connect parents and children with the best – and safest – content on the Web, Yahoo! Kids brings together the power of Yahoo! network, the expertise of leading producers of children’s content and kid-safe search on over 10,000 websites that have been scrutinized by Yahoo! editors. Advertising is included on the site. Highlights include:
- Study Zone – A vast collection of information for kids from sections on news, animals and science, to dinosaurs, reference and a World Factbook. Children can concentrate on homework or research in a safe online environment without distraction.
- Parent Section – A separate section for parents that offers information for parents including online safety and frequently asked questions about Yahoo Kids!
Ask for Kids was originally know as “Ask Jeeves for Kids” is a kid-friendly website for kids to ask questions online in a fast and safe environment. Predominately an educational site that children may use to assist with homework and for researching information, the site also includes activities and games for children. Sites have been carefully selected by an editor and only include “G-rated” pages that are specially written for children that are perceived as safe. Ask for Kids does accept advertising for products that are appropriate for kids under the age of 13. Features include:
- News Resources section that provides links to age appropriate news include Scholastic News Zone, Time for Kids and Weekly Reader.
- Links to online useful tools including a dictionary and thesaurus and search areas for history, science and more.
- Parent Page – explains the Ask for Kids editorial policies.
KidsClick! is a web search for kids by librarians and is a project of the Ramapo Catskill Library System based in Middletown, New York. It was created by a group of librarians as an answer to “concerns about the role of public libraries in guiding their young users to valuable and age appropriate web sites.”
Not an Internet filter, the intent of KidsClick! is to guide surfers age K-7 to “good” sites; not block them from “bad” sites. The site does not contain advertising and offers over 600 subjects. Search results offer the number of illustrations and reading level along with the result listings. KidsClick! has a strict selection policy.
Internet Safety
The use of search engines specifically designed with kids’ safety as a priority is one step a parent can enforce to help protect children online. Additional steps as recommended by the FBI include:
- Putting your computer in your living room or family room so you can keep an eye on what your kids are doing.
- The use of parental controls or blocking software to restrict what sites they can visit.
- Most importantly, explain the risks to your kids.
Additional information from the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation about keeping children safe online may be found at: A Parent’s Guide to Internet Safety.
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