Google: A common sense approach to Internet safety

[David Baxter PhD]

A common sense approach to Internet safety
By Karen, Google, Inc.
March 25, 2008

Over the years, we've built tools and offered resources to help kids and families stay safe online. Our SafeSearch feature, for example, helps filter explicit content from search results.

We've also been involved in a variety of local initiatives to educate families about how to stay safe while surfing the web. Here are a few highlights:

• In the U.S., we've worked with Common Sense Media to promote awareness about online safety and have donated hardware and software to improve the ability of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to combat child exploitation.
• Google UK has collaborated with child safety organizations such as Beatbullying and Childnet to raise awareness about cyberbullying and share prevention messages, and with law enforcement authorities, including the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre, to fight online exploitation.
• Google India initiated "Be NetSmart," an Internet safety campaign created in cooperation with local law enforcement authorities that aims to educate students, parents, and teachers across the country about the great value the Internet can bring to their lives, while also teaching best practices for safe surfing.
• Google France launched child safety education initiatives including Tour de France des Coll?ges and Cherche Net that are designed to teach kids how to use the Internet responsibly.
• And Google Germany worked with the national government, industry representatives, and a number of local organizations recently to launch a search engine for children.

As part of these ongoing efforts to provide online safety resources for parents and kids, we've created Tips for Online Safety, a site designed to help families find quick links to safety tools like SafeSearch, as well as new resources, like a video offering online safety pointers that we've developed in partnership with Common Sense Media. In the video, Anne Zehren, president of Common Sense, offers easy-to-implement tips, like how to set privacy and sharing controls on social networking sites and the importance of having reasonable rules for Internet use at home with appropriate levels of supervision.

Users can also download our new Online Family Safety Guide (PDF), which includes useful Internet Safety pointers for parents, or check out a quick tutorial on SafeSearch created by one of our partner organizations, GetNetWise.

We all have roles to play in keeping kids safe online. Parents need to be involved with their kids' online lives and teach them how to make smart decisions. And Internet companies like Google need to continue to empower parents and kids with tools and resources that help put them in control of their online experiences and make web surfing safer.