Keeping your family safe online

The holidays are here again and with the
kids out of school, this is a great time for
families to explore the web together -- from
learning what makes fireflies glow to
playing online games together. But, while
there is a lot of entertaining and educational
content online, there are so many materials
that I'd rather not see when I'm surfing the
web with my family.
Google has built a number of tools that
parents can use to help keep the content
they would rather not see from popping up
on the family computer. It takes less than
five minutes to turn them on. So, follow the
steps below to help make your search
results more family-friendly this summer.
Turn on Safe-Search in Google Search
Turning on Safe-Search is an easy way to
help you hide images, search results and
videos intended just for adult consumption.
It is particularly helpful if you're concerned
about the content that might pop up on
your family computer, and it is easy to turn
on. Just visit the Google Search Settings
page, go to the 'Safe-Search filters' section,
and check the box to filter mature content
from Google Search result pages. These
preferences will apply for any searches done
using that browser on your computer. If you
have multiple browsers on your family
computer, you might want to turn Safe-
Search on for each one.
You can turn Safe-Search on or off from the
Search Settings page
Save and lock your preferences
As soon as you have set your preferences,
make sure you click the 'Save' button at the
bottom of the page. And if you're signed in
to your Google Account, you can also lock
the Safe-Search filter so that other people
can't change your preferences--just click
"Lock SafeSearch."
Now the setting is protected with your
Google Account password. While no filter is
100 per cent perfect, with Safe-Search on
you can feel more confident browsing the
web with your family.
Turn on YouTube safety mode
The YouTube Safety Mode helps you and
your family to avoid videos that might be OK
with Google's Community Guidelines, but
you may not want to pop up on your family
computer. Turning on Safety Mode in
YouTube takes just one step. Scroll down to
the bottom of any YouTube page and click
on the button that says 'Safety' at the
bottom of the page--now you can choose
your preferences for Safety Mode.
Click the button that says 'Safety' at the
bottom of any YouTube page, and then
choose your preferences
Lock your Safety mode preferences
Just like with Safe-Search, you can also log in
with your Google Account and lock the
YouTube Safety Mode on each of your
computer's browsers. It will filter videos
with mature content, so they won't show up
in video search results, related videos,
playlists, shows or films. The YouTube Safety
Mode will also help hide objectionable
comments.
Turn on Safe-Search on mobile
Safe-Search is available on your phone or
other mobile devices, as well as the web.
You can turn on Safe-Search for Google on
your mobile device by opening your phone's
browser and visiting google.com/
preferences. Scroll to the Safe-Search Filters
section to select what level of filtering you
would like to enable. Be sure to tap 'Save
Preferences' after you've made your
selection.
To enable Safe-Search on YouTube's mobile
app, first open your settings, then press
'Search.' From there, select "Safe-Search
Filtering" and select moderate or strict
filtering.
Helping families have a positive and safe
experience with Google is important and
that is why the search giant has partnered
with parents and experts on free and easy
to use tools and resources to help your
family stay safe and secure when browsing
online. If you're interested more tools and
tips, please see Google's Good to Know site,
and stay tuned for more security tips
throughout the summer.