Yahoo Search Safety Guide
Yahoo Search offers an opportunity to explore and learn at the touch of a button or screen.
Basics of the Search community
- People of all ages can use Yahoo Search.
- Search preferences give you options to control your search experience.
- All Yahoo Search activity is governed by the Yahoo Terms of Service.
You on Search
Yahoo ID: You have the ability to personalize your Search experience if you sign in to Yahoo with your Yahoo ID and then edit your preferences.
What you should know
Search defaults: For adults, Yahoo's default search setting is moderate, which means that Search will filter out adult photos or videos. For children, the default is "strict," meaning that Search will block all types of adult content.
Safe search filter options include:
SafeSearch-Strict seeks to surface no adult content whenever possible. Signed-in individuals under the age of 13 have SafeSearch-Strict on by default and cannot change the setting. If you're a parent with young children, you may want to change your default as well. No filter is completely accurate, so staying involved while your children search is the best way to keep them out of unwanted content.
SafeSearch-Moderate does not display adult photos or videos directly in the search results. This is the default for those 13 and older .
SafeSearch-Off does not filter out any results. Only signed in individuals 18 or older c an adjust settings to this option.
To adjust or review these setting on a desktop or laptop:
- Sign in to Yahoo.
- In the Search box, enter a search term and click Search.
- On the search results page, place your mouse over the gear icon in the top-right corner of your screen.
- Click Preferences.
On a mobile device:
- Sign in to Yahoo.
- Enter a search term.
- Tap Search.
- Scroll to the bottom and tap Settings.
Search history is captured: Yahoo Search by default remembers search terms you've searched previously (your "search history") and displays them as suggested searches when you begin to type a search in Yahoo. Take a peek at how to view and manage these settings.
Search safety: best practices
Parents, explore with your kids: Be there when your kids are online, and take the time to talk with them about their activity and interests. Consider building targeted search activities focused on things they are interested in, and pair that search with information around safe practices. As a general safety tip, when children are involved, using SafeSearch filters are key. Consider applying a SafeSearch lock.
SafeSearch lock option on Yahoo
Parents can apply a SafeSearch lock to a given browser to help protect kids from exposure to certain types of content. This feature essentially allows a setting — such as SafeSearch-Strict — to be applied on that browser, even if no one is signed in. To activate the lock:
- Sign in with your Yahoo ID. (You must be registered as 18 or older.)
- Go to Search preferences and select Strict—no adult content from the top drop-down.
- Click lock just beneath the drop-down. (The options will be grayed out to confirm the lock is in place.)
- Click Save, and you can sign out. Your settings will be saved.
To remove the lock, just sign in, navigate to the Preferences page, and select Unlock and Save. If you are using multiple browsers, the above steps have to be taken on each browser. If cookies are deleted from the browser, you will have to relock your settings.
Report abusive results: Yahoo does all it can to capture concerning results, but if you see something in the search results that you think needs to be brought to our attention, please let our teams know.
Think before you open: Yahoo Search is powerful and offers access to a wealth of information. That said, always be aware of what kind of site you have accessed. And to keep your experience positive, be thoughtful before opening a search result.
For more information about Yahoo Search, visit Yahoo Help.