We build tools and controls into our products that help you manage your online experience. Learn about SafeSearch, YouTube Safety Mode, and Android Market Rating System below and about the safety controls in other Google products on the reporting abuse and sharing controls pages.
SafeSearch is designed to screen sites that contain sexually explicit content and remove them from your search results. While no filter is 100% accurate, SafeSearch helps you avoid content you may prefer not to see or would rather your children did not stumble across.
By default, Moderate SafeSearch is turned on, which helps keep explicit images out of your search results. If you prefer you can change your setting to Strict filtering to help filter out explicit text as well as images. You can modify your computer’s SafeSearch settings by clicking on Search settings at the top right of the Google homepage.
If you’re worried about others changing the Strict SafeSearch setting without your knowledge, you can protect it with a password using SafeSearch Lock. To use SafeSearch lock, click on Search settings in the upper right corner of the Google homepage. Choose “Strict Filtering” and then click “Lock SafeSearch.” Once locked, the Google search results page will be visibly different to indicate that SafeSearch is locked:
Even from across the room, the colored balls give parents and teachers a clear visual cue that SafeSearch is still locked. And if you don’t see them, it’s quick and easy to verify and re-lock SafeSearch.
SafeSearch is accessible on your mobile device by using the browser to access the Google homepage. Choose settings located at the bottom of the screen and you’ll see the option to select Strict, Moderate or to turn SafeSearch off completely.
We have Community Guidelines for YouTube that describe the type of content that is and isn’t allowed on the site. However, there may be cases when you’d prefer to screen out content even though it meets our guidelines.
Opting in to Safety Mode means that videos with mature content or that have been age-restricted will not show up in video search, related videos, playlists, shows or films. While no filter is 100% accurate, we use community flagging and porn-image detection to help identify and hide inappropriate content. It is also designed to hide objectionable comments. Safety Mode on YouTube does not remove content from the site, but rather helps hide it from users who opt in.
Click on the link at the bottom of any video page to select Safety Mode and lock it for that browser with your YouTube password. To learn more, check out the video below.
Please note that, like many sites hosting user-generated content, YouTube is not intended for children under the age of 13. You can find out more about YouTube and Safety Mode at youtube.com/safety.
Android is a free, open source mobile platform that any developer can use, and any handset manufacturer can install. The operating system and Market are built on openness and are designed to drive innovation and consumer choice. Through our content rating system, we empower users with the option to choose suitable levels of content exposure and information sharing through apps that are downloaded from Android Market.
What is the Android Market Rating System?
The content rating system is a feature of Android Market that requires developers to rate their apps in one of four categories: Everyone, Low, Medium, or High. Using a PIN code, users can lock a setting to filter apps on their devices so that only apps deemed appropriate for use can be displayed and downloaded.
Why did you decide to implement a rating system for apps?
We’ve always believed that users should be able to customize their experiences on Android devices to maximize utility and benefit. Enabling users to determine and lock an appropriate level of content exposure on Android phones is a natural extension of this concept. Many users and developers have requested this feature, particularly for purposes of restricting access to apps that use contain offensive content or allow users to share information.
How will the rating system be enforced?
Developers are responsible for rating the apps they upload to Android Market accurately. If users come across incorrectly rated apps, they can flag such apps for review. We will evaluate each case according our guidelines, which have been sent directly to developers and posted in the Android Market Help Center.
This flag and removal system has proven to be extraordinarily successful at YouTube and continues to facilitate the openness that is intrinsic to the Web. Thirty-five hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute, ensuring maximum innovation and expression. The platform effectively relies on a community of users to police and monitor its content. We hope to replicate if not improve upon this model.