In an earlier article we showed you how to enable safe search filters in Bing.com. A safe search filter can be used to block adult or inappropriate content in your favorite search engine.
Apart from adult content, the safe search feature can also be used to block specific type of content e.g hatred, gambling, drugs, alchoholic and so on. The safe search feature checks for keywords, phrases, URL’s and other parameters to determine whether a specific webpage is suitable for minors or not.
If you are using Google as the default search engine, here is how you can turn on safe search in Google.com and customize the filter to protect your kids from mature content.
Turning On Safe Search in Google.com And Blocking Adult Content on Search Results
1. Go to the preferences page of Google.com, you will see the following interface:
2. Under the “Safe Search Filtering” section, you will see three options. They are:
- Strict filtering: Choosing this option will block all types of text and image content that are either porn or for adults.
- Moderate filtering: This option will block adult images on Google.com search result pages.
- None: This will remove safe search filtering from Google search results and you will be able to see all types of content.
Go ahead and choose any one of the option, it’s recommended to choose “Strict filtering” if you are really worried that your children may search for porn content on Google.com. When you are done setting the safe search filter, make sure you hit the “Lock Safe Search” link which will prevent other users from changing the safe search preferences on Google.com.
Note: Make sure cookies are enabled in the browser you are using. If the cookies are deleted – the safe search filter won’t work, hence you should choose the setting under Tools > Options > Privacy > Keep Cookies until they expire (Firefox).
You can always unlock the safe search filters by signing in to your Google account and going to the preferences page.
Enabling Safe search in Google is just half the work done, you should also learn more on blocking access to specific websites using a network monitoring program. If you want even greater control over the websites your children visit, learn how you can set up open DNS to block porn websites.
Another good idea would be to set up parental controls in Windows7 and choose which websites your children can visit. Using parental controls you can set up time restrictions as well, this will ensure that your kids can surf the web only when you are present in the house.