Kiddle (search engine)
 | |
 Kiddle's desktop home page | |
Type of site | Search engine |
|---|---|
| Available in | English, Spanish |
| URL | www |
| Registration | No |
| Launched | 2014 |
Kiddle.co is a web search engine and online encyclopedia emphasizing safety for children. Kiddle search is powered by Google Programmable Search Engine and employs SafeSearch with additional filters. Kiddle is powered by Google Custom Search but is not affiliated with Google LLC.[1] It has been mistaken for a Google product in several news articles and blogs due to its name.[2]
History
[edit]Kiddle's domain was registered in 2014. The .co domain was chosen by the designers in order to emphasize the search engine's "children only" target audience.[3] Kiddle became very popular on social media in 2016, and even became a meme due to blocking of certain keywords for a short period of time.[4]
Since July 2023, Kiddle is also available in Spanish.[5][6]
Format
[edit]Once the user enters topics in the search toolbar, Kiddle returns and ranks its findings, and pushes child-safe content higher in its search results. It appears like a Google Programmable Search Engine window with an outer space stylized theme for their pages.[7] Kiddle presents search results with the first three results being deemed safe and written specifically for kids and "checked by Kiddle editors", the next four being safe sites not written specially for kids, but presented in kid friendly language. The eighth result and anything else beyond are safe sites written for adults but harder to understand for kids. Results presented are filtered through Google SafeSearch.[7][3]
If the user enters terms that are considered inappropriate, a picture of a robot is displayed, telling the user to try again.[8]
Kpedia
[edit]Kiddle Encyclopedia (Kpedia) is an online encyclopedia available from their search engine. It lists over 700,000 articles, and is "based on selected content and facts from Wikipedia, rewritten for children." Kiddle positions its Kpedia as an educational resource to be used for "school homework help and general education," and includes their articles in search results.[9][10] The software is powered by MediaWiki.
Controversy
[edit]In 2016, Kiddle came under criticism for blocking various LGBT related search terms, with their rationale being that the keywords were not suitable for small children.[11][12]
Due to criticism, Kiddle unblocked these keywords.[13]
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ "About Kiddle - visual search engine for kids". www.kiddle.co. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- ^ "Child-friendly search engines: How safe is Kiddle?". Naked Security. 2019-03-19. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2019-10-04.
- ^ a b "About Kiddle - visual search engine for kids". www.kiddle.co. Retrieved 2019-10-07.
- ^ Connolly, Amanda (2016-03-01). "'Child-friendly' search engine Kiddle is promoting ignorance". The Next Web. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
- ^ "Kiddle Español". es.kiddle.co. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ "Enciclopedia Kiddle para niños". ninos.kiddle.co. Retrieved 2024-01-30.
- ^ a b Keating, Lauren (2016-02-25). "Kiddle Search Engine Is The Google For Kids". Tech Times. Archived from the original on 2019-09-13. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
- ^ Kleinman, Zoe (1 March 2016). "'Safe' search engine blocks common words". BBC News. Archived from the original on 10 June 2019. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ^ "Kids encyclopedia facts". kids.kiddle.co. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
- ^ Navarro, Francis; Kom; o.com (12 January 2019). "7 search sites to use other than Google". The Kim Komando Show. Archived from the original on 2019-07-31. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
- ^ Kleinman, Zoe (2016-03-01). "'Safe' search engine blocks common words". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2019-06-10. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
- ^ Connolly, Amanda (2016-03-01). "'Child-friendly' search engine Kiddle is promoting ignorance". The Next Web. Archived from the original on 2020-08-05. Retrieved 2019-01-21.
- ^ "Kid-friendly search engine Kiddle unblocks 'inappropriate' words after backlash". pix11.com. 5 March 2016. Archived from the original on 28 November 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2019.
Further reading
[edit]- Shields, Jane (Winter 2016). "Virtual Toolkit". Screen Education (Product Review) (82): 102–104.
- Ivers, Karen S. (2018). Using Technology to Support High-Impact Educational Practice. Libraries Unlimited. p. 131.
- Peachey, Nik (2016). Thinking Critically through Digital Media. PeacheyPublications Ltd. p. 160.
- Hertz, Mary Beth (2019). Digital and Media Literacy in the Age of the Internet: Practical Classroom Applications. Rowman & Littlefield. pp. 64, 205.