The internet is a vast expanse of content and an incredibly rich resource but not all of the content is appropriate for everyone who is using Google to search it. With the internet being a necessity for school and used for social interaction it’s not possible to ban the internet. But then how do you ensure that your kids are only seeing the content that you’ve deemed appropriate for them?

In 2017, 97% of Australian households with children had access to the internet. And a lot of kids are spending more time on devices than ever - on average more than 2 hours a day. During this time, kids are also spending more time on the ‘net’ and ‘Googling’. Whether they are doing their homework or using the internet for fun, Googling has become an incredibly important skill and a core component of digital literacy. Just think about how often in your day you reach for Google to answer a question - whenever we don’t know something we “google it”. Google brings us the weather, solves household debates, and even helps us learn new skills. In fact 94% of Aussies choose to Google rather than using another search engine.

Basically, Google is an incredibly useful website for everyone and it’s especially important for kids and students of all ages. Googling is a skill your kids will need to develop, but obviously, there are risks that come with kids spending more time searching for things online. The more they search, the more chances they have of ending up on the wrong site.

Add to this the reality that seemingly innocent words can turn up inappropriate results and images that you don’t want your kids to see. For example, a lot of words have double meanings like bat, bark, or nuts. Some of these double entendres are completely innocent and then others, like the last example, are ones that you probably don’t want your child to stumble across on Google when they’re researching if nuts grow on trees for a school assignment. If you have a think about it, there are a lot of other (worse) examples as well!

While it’s important that your child knows how to use Google, the challenge is ensuring that your kid is using the internet in safe, secure, and appropriate ways. While you can’t control what’s on the internet, there are ways to filter content and ensure that your children aren’t exposed to violent, inappropriate or explicit content. That’s where Google SafeSearch comes in.

Google SafeSearch is a feature that will help keep your children’s search results relevant and ensure that they don’t end up on the wrong sites by accident.

SafeSearch is a Google feature that you can easily turn on to filter out explicit content from search results. The filter will work across images, videos and websites. It won’t hide everything, but it will filter out most explicit content. You know, the type of stuff you don’t want your kids to see, like a peanut bush rather than nuts (yep! Peanuts grow underground and are legumes and not nuts).

SafeSearch can be turned on for:

● Personal accounts or browsers

● Children’s supervised devices

● Workplace or school devices and networks

It’s really simple to switch on Google Safe Search, on most devices just visit https://www.google.com/preferences and tick the box.

1. On your computer, go to Search Settings.
2. Under "SafeSearch filters," check or uncheck the box next to Turn on SafeSearch.
3. At the bottom of the page, select Save.

When you set up SafeSearch it’s important that you set it up across all of the different devices that your children use. If you set it up on the computer that device will be safe but there’s probably an iPad or a phone that could still be at risk. Make sure you have all of your bases covered. Fortunately, the search settings are linked to each Google account, which means it can be transferred across devices. If you are logged in to the same Google account across all of your devices, the SafeSearch settings will follow your kids around the internet.

It’s also important to note that SafeSearch only works on Google. If you use Bing, Firefox, Explorer or any other search engine then it won’t work. It also won’t stop people from going to sites directly, in these scenarios we urge you to look into additional cyber-safety measures which you can research at e-Safety Australia.

Let’s be honest If someone really wants to go to a certain website and are really motivated it will be hard to stop them, but at least SafeSearch will help you keep your children from ending up in the wrong places by accident.

To sum up, Google is an important skill to have in today’s world and it’s a crucial skill for your kids to develop. To do so, they need the freedom to search things on Google, while doing so in a safe way. If you don’t want them to stumble across the wrong thing - like you probably did as a kid - go into your Google settings, turn SafeSearch on, and check that it’s working across devices. It’s the easiest way to keep your kids safe online.