Safe Searching Tips for Kids

18 April, 2011

The internet is a fantastic resource that supports us in finding information on pretty much anything that you can imagine.

The easiest and quickest way to find information on the internet is of course through the use of a search engine such as Google, Bing, Yahoo or Youtube.

All of these search engines are incredibly good at giving us relevant results for the keywords that we type into the search bar. However, a misspelt word or an unclear keyword can bring up results that are very different to what you intend.

With the ever expanding content on the web it is important that internet safety for kids is taken seriously so here are some tips and information on how to avoid finding nasty content on the web.

Searching Tips to avoid nasty web content

•    Try to use at least 2 or 3 words in the searches that you run – for example if you are looking for information on the battle of Hastings then do not just search “Hastings” or “1066”. The more descriptive you are in your search the more information you give to the search engine about what you want to see. In this example search for “The battle of Hastings 1066” and you will get some great, highly relevant results that will be useful.

•    All search engines work slightly differently so get familiar with one that you are comfortable with and stick with it as you will naturally learn the best way to get the results that you are looking for.

•    If you use Google then try using Google News if you are searching for current affairs or use Google Scholar if you are searching for informative studies as documents need to come from more reliable sources to get in these search indexes.

•    Be aware that not all websites have reliable content – anybody can start a website and put information on it, double check information in books and by asking your parents and teachers. If a website sounds like it is not reliable and focused on what you are searching for then it is probably best avoided.

•    To save time and effort bookmark the websites that you will return to again and again so that you do not have to search for them again.

•    Take care with your spelling – small differences in spelling can bring very different results.

•    Most importantly you should ensure that you use the safe search version of a search engine – here is Google’s safe search and Yahoo’s safe search – for Yahoo you just need to amend your preferences to get safe search. Alternatively you can user CYBERminder internet safety for kids as it is pre-set to use a safe search engine.

What to do if you come across nasty content on the web

The best thing to do is to minimise the page so that you cannot see the content and tell a parent or carer so that they can do something about it. We advise you not to just keep quiet and ignore it when you find something that is not nice as if nothing gets done about it then other children may see the same content and not enjoy it either.