How to Filter Out Adult Content in Yahoo Search With SafeSearch
How to turn on Yahoo SafeSearch Strict on desktop and mobile, what Strict and Moderate filter, and how to keep kids protected when it can't be locked.
Yahoo Search doesn't get as much attention as Google, but it's still the default in some browsers, toolbars and devices, and kids sometimes land there without realizing. Yahoo has its own SafeSearch filter, separate from Google's and Bing's. If you've set up filtering elsewhere, it doesn't carry over. Here's how to turn it on and how to deal with its limits.
Yahoo's three SafeSearch levels
On Yahoo's preferences page, the options are described this way:
| Level | Yahoo's description | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Strict | No adult content | Aims to keep adult web pages, images and videos out of results |
| Moderate | No images or video | Filters adult images and video, but adult text and links can still appear |
| Off | Do not filter results | No filtering |
For children, choose Strict. Yahoo itself notes that it can't catch everything, but Strict filters the most.
How to turn on Yahoo SafeSearch
Yahoo requires you to be signed in to a Yahoo account to change SafeSearch.
On a computer
- Go to Yahoo Search and sign in.
- Search for anything so a results page opens.
- Open the apps or menu icon and select Settings.
- Select Preferences.
- In the SafeSearch drop-down, choose Strict.
- Save if prompted.
You can also go straight to the preferences page at search.yahoo.com/preferences/preferences.
On a phone or tablet
- Open Yahoo Search in a browser, or open the Yahoo Search app, and make sure you're signed in.
- Tap Settings, then Preferences.
- Choose Strict under SafeSearch.
- On iPhone and iPad, tap Done.
Yahoo's SafeSearch help article has the current steps if the menus have moved.
The limits of Yahoo SafeSearch
It can be changed
Yahoo's current help pages don't describe a way to lock SafeSearch. Anyone who can sign in, or who uses a browser where you haven't set it, can change it. Older versions of Yahoo offered a lock option, but we couldn't confirm it exists today.
It depends on the account or browser
If your child uses Yahoo while signed out, in a different browser, or in a private window, your setting may not apply.
Bing's network lock doesn't cover Yahoo
Microsoft's strict.bing.com network setting forces SafeSearch on bing.com. It doesn't change Yahoo's own SafeSearch setting, so don't count on it to cover Yahoo.
How to keep kids protected anyway
Because Yahoo's setting can't be locked, the practical approach is to layer protections.
- Set Strict on any Yahoo account your child uses, and in every browser where Yahoo is the search engine.
- Change the default search engine in your child's browsers to one you can lock, such as Google with a Family Link-supervised account. See our guide to filtering adult content in Google.
- Use a family web filter or DNS service. Many filter adult websites regardless of how they're found, and some can block search engines that can't be locked.
- Use device-level controls. On iPhone and iPad, Apple's web content filters (under Settings > Family > [child's name] > Apps & Websites in iOS 27) limit adult websites in Safari, and Ask to Browse requires your approval for new sites. Google Family Link and Microsoft Family Safety offer similar controls.
- Check browser settings occasionally to make sure the default search engine hasn't been changed.
Yahoo on other services
Yahoo Search shows up in a few places parents may not expect:
- As the default search engine in some browsers or after installing certain software
- Through the Yahoo app, which combines news, mail and search
- On Yahoo's home page, which includes news and entertainment headlines that aren't controlled by SafeSearch
If your child uses Yahoo Mail, remember that SafeSearch only applies to search results, not email.
Compare the big three
Each major search engine handles safe search differently. Google offers Filter, Blur and Off, with locks via Family Link and network settings. Bing offers Strict, Moderate and Off, with a network-level strict.bing.com lock. Yahoo offers Strict, Moderate and Off, set per signed-in account. Our side-by-side SafeSearch guide for Yahoo, Bing and Google goes into detail, and our Bing SafeSearch guide explains the network lock.
Check which search engine your child actually uses
Before spending time on Yahoo settings, find out where your child's searches really go. Open each browser on their devices and check the default search engine in the browser's settings. Look at the search history too. You may find that most searches go through Google or Bing, in which case locking those matters more, and Yahoo can simply be removed as an option.
Test your setup
Once you've set everything up, check it from your child's device rather than your own. Open the browser they use, go to Yahoo Search, and look at the SafeSearch setting in Preferences. Then try the same on mobile data and in a private window. Anywhere the setting doesn't stick is a gap your device controls or web filter needs to cover. It's worth repeating this check after browser updates or when your child gets a new device.
Quick checklist
- Sign in to Yahoo and set SafeSearch to Strict.
- Repeat on every browser and device your child uses.
- Switch the default search engine to one you can lock, if possible.
- Add a web filter or family DNS for whole-home coverage.
- Turn on your device's built-in web content filters.
- Remind your kids to close anything upsetting and tell you about it.
Frequently asked questions
How do I turn on SafeSearch in Yahoo?
Sign in, run a search, open Settings and then Preferences, and choose Strict from the SafeSearch drop-down menu.
What does Yahoo Moderate SafeSearch filter?
Yahoo describes Moderate as filtering adult images and video but not other results. Strict is the setting that aims to keep out all adult content.
Can I lock Yahoo SafeSearch?
Yahoo's current help pages don't describe a lock. To keep kids filtered, combine Strict with device controls, a family web filter, or by steering them to a search engine you can lock.