Kiddle, the new “visual search engine for kids,” promises a safer browsing experience for the younger set. Its LGBTQ-related results are inconsistent at best and stigmatizing at worst, however.
Although Kiddle looks a lot like Google (search box in middle of page; primary-color logo) and is powered in part by the Google Safe Search infrastructure, it is run by an independent company unaffiliated with the search giant. Search results are a combination of kid-specific sites “handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors,” non-kid sites with simple content also chosen by Kiddle editors, and “safe, famous sites that are written for adults, providing expert content, but … harder for kids to understand,” and filtered by Google Safe Search. The site also does not collect any personally identifiable information.
Testing the Terms
A good idea? Perhaps. But the implementation needs work.
To test this, I first turned on Google Safe Search in my own browser and searched for a variety of LGBTQ-and sexuality-related terms in plain old Google. It pulls up results for all of them, blocking only “explicit” content.
I then reset my browser and tried Kiddle. Here’s what I got when I searched for various LGBTQ-related terms.
| LGBTQ | Lots of links to content from COLAGE, the organization for those with LGBTQ parents, followed by single links to content from the LGBTQ Alliance of the American Alliance of Museums, and LGBTQ content from Common Sense Media, the American Library Association, and the National Park Service. |
| LGBT, Lesbian, Gay, Queer | “You have entered an LGBT related search query. Please realize that while Kiddle has nothing against the LGBT community, it’s hard to guarantee the safety of all the search results for such queries. We recommend that you talk to your parent or guardian about such topics.” |
| Bisexual | “Oops, looks like your query contained some bad words. Please try again!” |
| Transgender | Mostly COLAGE links, plus PBS’ Growing Up Trans show. |
Combinations like “lesbian mom” and “gay dad” also yield the same results as their roots above.
Kiddle is also squeamish about “breast cancer,” giving us its “Oops … bad words” response. “Lung cancer” returns results, however. “Chicken breast” contains “bad words,” too, so we know wherein the problem lies. And really? “Bad words”? That’s rather judgmental, especially if a child thinks they’re bisexual, or has a parent with breast cancer. Or has breasts, for that matter. “Vagina,” “penis,” and “menstruation” are all “bad words,” too. Way to stigmatize and shame anything related to sexuality, Kiddle. How about taking the time to find some kid-appropriate search results for these topics? (Kidshealth.org has some materials, for example. They’re not as gender-inclusive as Cory Silverberg and Fiona Smyth’s wonderful books, but they’re a start.)
I do understand the difficulties of sorting out informative and kid-appropriate LGBTQ content from more prurient material. “Lesbian” was the top search term at Pornhub last year, and “mom” was term number six, so in my search for content related to lesbian moms, I sometimes stumble across things that, shall we say, aren’t relevant to my take on the subject. But surely if some of the LGBTQ-related search terms are pulling up COLAGE, all of them could do so—as well as pull up links to sites like Rainbow Rumpus, which has stories for kids with LGBT parents, or to LGBTQ-inclusive YouTube videos for kids like the more than two dozen I’ve collected. If links are “handpicked and checked by Kiddle editors,” then there’s no excuse for offputting or stigmatizing warnings around these topics instead of relevant and appropriate search results.
Besides, I suspect that many kids are looking up these terms online because they are afraid or embarrassed to ask their parents or guardians about them. Telling kids to go ask parents or guardians isn’t really helpful.
On the flip side from blocked results, Kiddle seems to be returning some results that are of questionable kid friendliness, as the U.K.’s Daily Mirror explains. And its inconsistencies are easy to find. “Gun” is a “bad word,” but “bomb” and “cannon” give results.
Other “Kid Safe” Search Sites
Kiddle is making headlines this week, but it’s not the only kids’ search site using Google Safe Search. The main competitor seems to be KidzSearch. It likewise shows results for LGBTQ but not LGBT (although its warning is somewhat less judgmental, stating, “You Entered a KidzSearch Blocked Term. Please try your search again, or contact us if you feel this term should be allowed”). It blocks “lesbian,” “gay,” “bisexual,” and “queer,” but, like Kiddle, gives results for “transgender.” Unlike Kiddle, it gives results for “breast cancer,” “chicken breast,” and “gun.”
KidzSearch claims that “1000’s of public and private schools use us each day.” They also say they’re a member of the American Library Association (ALA), but I suspect that’s incorrect (and at the least, should not be taken as an ALA endorsement); the ALA says on its website, “There is intense debate across the country relating to the use of filtering software programs in libraries and schools. One side feels children should not be exposed to pornography and other adult material found on the Internet and support filtering. . . . Those on the other side of the debate, including the American Library Association and its Office of Intellectual Freedom, want to protect the First Amendment rights of children on the Internet.”
KidzSearch also seems to be operating the ad-ridden Safe Search Kids site. Do a search and you’ll see the results pages have identical designs.
Other similar sites include KidRex, Junior, and Infotopia. Junior and Infotopia are the most inclusive, allowing all of the above LGBTQ and sexuality terms, but screening out explicit sites. KidRex allows “LGBT,” LGBTQ,” and “breast cancer” (but not “breast” alone), and gives a simple “Oops, try again” message for blocked terms. KidzSearch, Kiddle, Junior, and Infotopia all run ads, powered by Google AdSense. KidRex is ad free. (Common Sense Media also has a list of additional kid-safe browsers and search sites, not all of which are powered by Google Safe Search.)
Infotopia is curated by Michael and Carole Bell, retired librarians/teachers, and has at least one fan in the ALA Think Tank Facebook group, who says she uses it with her middle-school students. It’s hard to tell who’s behind Kiddle, KidRex, and Junior, however. There’s no company information on their sites. Looking up “WHOIS” information on the domain names reveals little for Kiddle and KidRex, who use privacy services to shield their identities. Junior says it was “created by a mother and father raising four amazing daughters on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada,” but there are no names or further identifying information.
KidzSearch’s URL reveals a little more. It’s registered to a Dale Bock of Digital Discovery Systems. The only information I can find on him is that he lost a lawsuit brought against him in 2002 by Mandalay Resort Group for misappropriating one of its trademarks. Bock had linked the domain excaliberhotel.com to a hotel reservations website called “Las Vegas Direct.” Excalibur is a Mandalay brand.
(Speaking of trademarks, both Junior and Kiddle are trademark lawsuits waiting to happen. Both have Google-similar primary color logos. Junior’s URL is googlejunior.com. Kiddle is already being mistakenly viewed as coming from the Goog itself.)
What to Do
I wouldn’t mind if Kiddle or its ilk just used Google’s basic Safe Search functionality to block “explicit” sites. Beyond that, however, we enter the realm of judgment about what’s “appropriate” for kids, and I’d rather see the search engines leave more up to parents. If desired, parents can install software like Net Nanny, which lets them select the level of screening—but I think there’s no substitute for simply teaching our kids safe browsing habits from the start. (Here’s help, if you want it.)
I’m with the ALA’s statement above when it comes to schools, especially public schools—but I recognize that schools or districts may still choose to use one of the “kid-safe” search sites above. If they do, they should be aware of its specific approach and limitations when it comes to LGBTQ and sexuality terms and the impact this could have on a wide range of students. LGBTQ organizations that run trainings and programs in schools should help promulgate this knowledge.
I do like what Kiddle is trying to do with a big, visual design that makes it easier for kids to navigate, and with results based on whether the sites are for kids or adults in terms of reading level. I’d love to recommend it, but I can’t, based on the terms it blocks and the stigmatizing “bad word” warning it gives.
My recommendation for parents who want some automated safeguards on their children’s browsing is to turn on Google Safe Search in their browsers, which screens out explicit sites but doesn’t seem to block specific search terms. (I even tried searching for the f-word with Safe Search on, and it returned results.) It’s not perfect, either (Google cautions that it “isn’t 100% accurate”), but if Google is your own preferred search engine and you have it set to appear when you open a new tab and to work in the address bar, then you won’t have to worry about your kids using it by mistake. You can also require a password before Safe Search can be turned off, so your clever kids can’t reset it on you. Let’s face it, too: Any kid sensing that a “kid-friendly” search site is holding back goodies just has to type in “Google” to get to the real deal in any case. If you’re concerned about such things, then lock down Google with Safe Search.
Mostly, though, talk with your kids—repeatedly as they get older—about what they’re likely to encounter online and how to keep themselves safe.
Maybe there’s a better solution out there, but I’m still searching.