Digital Learning
Hardev Singh: ICT Coordinator, Digi Tech & Media Arts Teacher.
Search Engines for Students
Parents often ask me about students using search engines. This is a tricky question as no search engine is 100% safe from adult content. The best protection is to sit with your child as they use the device. However, this is impractical in many situations. With that proviso in mind here are my top 3 recommendations for student-friendly search engines.
Kiddle is a safe, visual search engine for kids. The first three results to each query are kid-safe sites and pages written specifically for children and hand-picked by the editors at Kiddle. Results 4-7 are also hand-picked by the editors, and include safe, trusted sites that are not specifically written for kids, but have simple, easy-to-understand content. Finally, all the following results are filtered by Google safe search. Parental controls on Kiddle include keyword and site blocking for further search safety. The site also includes safe searching for:
- Images
- News
- Videos
- Kids encyclopedia facts
Britannica is a paid site with a 7-day free evaluation offer. It has designed a safe and trusted site. It provides safe and age-appropriate content to focus students on what you want them to see online.
Fuse is a Department of Education (DET) run site for students of all ages including preschool. Sites are searched and content filters by teachers working for the department. Below are some of its features.
Hardev Singh
ICT Coordinator
Digi Tech & Media Arts Teacher