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Google Reveal Plans for Child-Friendly Search Results

Justin Aldridge

Google has started work on child-friendly versions of their services, from Chrome to the search site itself. A US-based report states that Google are developing these modifications in an attempt to provide parents with more security when children are surfing the web.

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“The big motivator inside the company is everyone is having kids”

Pavni Diwanji, Google’s vice-president of engineering, is leading the project and told USA Today a little more about what to expect from their child-friendly version of the search site, stating that the new modifications would be designed for children up to the age of 12. There is still no news on a release date for these modifications.

Child-Friendly Search Results

One of the examples Ms Diwanji put forward revolved around search results and how search terms such as “trains” could provide and prioritise child-friendly results such as “Thomas the Tank Engine” when children were using the search site instead of sending them in the direction of ticket booking sites.

Improved Online Security for Parents

As well as child-friendly search results, Google are also developing tools that let parents monitor their child’s time surfing the web, including the sites they visit and how much time they are spending online. While there are already Safe Search tools available for parental use, it’s believed Google’s plans will take child safety a whole lot further.

Potential Hurdles

Google may come unstuck at some stage during the development of these site modifications however. This is down to the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (Coppa) in the US, which specifies the amount of data that can be collected about children and what it can be used for.