SafeSearch on Google, Bing and Yahoo: How to Turn It On and Keep It On

SafeSearch is the built-in filter that keeps sexually explicit images, videos and websites out of search results. Every major search engine has one, and for a family computer or a child's tablet it is one of the easiest protections to turn on. The catch is that each search engine handles it a little differently, the setting is often stored per browser, and a determined kid can sometimes switch it off. This guide walks through Google, Bing and Yahoo as they work in 2026, and then covers how to make the setting stick.

What SafeSearch does, and what it doesn't

SafeSearch screens results for explicit content such as pornography and graphic violence. It is useful for accidental exposure: a misspelled search, an innocent word with a second meaning, or image results that go somewhere unexpected.

It is not a full parental control system. It does not:

• Block websites your child visits directly by typing an address.
• Filter content inside apps like TikTok, Snapchat, Discord or games.
• Catch everything. Filters make mistakes in both directions.

Treat it as one layer. On phones and tablets, pair it with device-level controls such as Apple Screen Time or Google Family Link, and on YouTube, use Restricted Mode and supervised accounts.

Google SafeSearch

Google now has three SafeSearch levels:

Blur is the default for most adults. Google turns on Filter automatically when its systems indicate the user may be under 18, and for children whose Google accounts are managed with Family Link, Filter is the default and only a parent can change it.

How to turn on Google SafeSearch

1. Go to google.com/safesearch in the browser your child uses (or tap your profile picture on a Google results page and choose SafeSearch).
2. Select Filter.
3. Repeat in every browser and on every device your child uses if they search signed out.

If your child has their own Google account, the stronger option is supervision with Google Family Link. With Family Link, SafeSearch is locked to Filter for supervised children, and the setting follows the account rather than the browser. Google explains the details on its SafeSearch help page.

When SafeSearch is locked by a parent, school or network, a lock icon appears at the top of the SafeSearch settings page.

Bing SafeSearch

Bing offers three levels:

• Strict filters explicit text, images and videos.
• Moderate filters explicit images and videos but not text. This is Bing's default.
• Off applies no filter.

How to turn on Bing SafeSearch

1. Open bing.com.
2. Open the menu in the top-right corner and choose Settings, then More (the exact label may vary slightly by layout).
3. Under SafeSearch, choose Strict.
4. Save your changes.

Bing stores this setting in a browser cookie, so clearing cookies or switching browsers can reset it. On Windows computers, a child account managed through Microsoft Family Safety with web and search filters turned on enforces Bing SafeSearch more reliably than the cookie setting alone.

Bing matters more than many parents expect: it is the default search engine in Microsoft Edge and powers results for several other search services.

Yahoo SafeSearch

Yahoo's search preferences have three levels:

• Strict: no adult content.
• Moderate: filters adult images and video.
• Off: no filtering.

How to turn on Yahoo SafeSearch

1. Run any search on Yahoo.
2. Open the settings (gear) menu on the results page and choose Preferences, or go to search.yahoo.com/preferences.
3. Under SafeSearch, select Strict.
4. Click Save.

Like Bing, Yahoo's setting is tied to the browser. If your child uses another browser or a private window, it may not carry over.

Quick comparison

How to keep SafeSearch from being turned off

Kids figure out settings fast. These steps make SafeSearch much harder to undo:

1. Use supervised accounts. Family Link for Google and Microsoft Family Safety for Windows tie the filter to the child's account, not to a cookie.
2. Lock it at the network level. Many home routers and DNS filtering services can force SafeSearch on Google, Bing and YouTube for every device on your Wi-Fi. Check your router's parental control or "safe search" settings.
3. Use device controls. On an iPhone or iPad set up through Family Sharing, Apple's current path is Settings > Family > your child's name > Apps & Websites > Restrictions, then Filtering under Websites. Choose Limit Adult Websites to add a web filter on the device. Android devices supervised with Family Link can block explicit sites in Chrome.
4. Limit browsers. If a child has several browsers installed, each may need its own setting. Remove the extras or block their installation.
5. Check occasionally. Search a harmless term with a double meaning and see what comes up.

For younger children, a dedicated kid-friendly browser is another option; we compare a few in our guide to kid-safe browsers. For older kids and teens, keep in mind that private browsing windows can bypass some per-browser settings, which is worth understanding before you rely on them (see private browsing and what kids hide).

The bottom line

• Turn on Google Filter, Bing Strict and Yahoo Strict in every browser your child uses.
• Prefer account-level locks (Family Link, Microsoft Family Safety) over per-browser settings.
• Add a network or device filter so the protection survives a cleared cookie.
• Remember SafeSearch only covers search results. Talk with your kids about what to do if they see something upsetting anyway: close it, and tell you without fear of losing their device.