As part of Internet Safety Week, we’re posting a series of tips and tricks to help you stay secure online. Supporting families to be safe while they explore the web is important to us, and you can find more advice on savvy Internet use on www.google.com/safetycenter/. -Ed.
Protecting our users from harm as they explore the Internet is our top priority at Google. This is why we have introduced a number of easy to use tools and features to help parents and carers teach good online habits and skills. Today’s post includes five tips to help ensure a safer surfing experience for your loved ones across different Google platforms/services -- from Google Search, to YouTube, Chrome, Gmail and Google+.
Filter search results. By turning on SafeSearch in Google Search, you can hide most of the mature content that you or your family may prefer to avoid. This includes explicit images and videos. You can also lock SafeSearch on your computer by logging into your Google account and changing your settings.How? Visit the Search Settings page at www.google.com/preferences and tick the box under “SafeSearch filters”
Safe viewing in YouTube. Just as you can filter content in Google Search, you can also restrict the videos that your kids can watch on YouTube. YouTube Safety Mode blocks videos with age-restricted content, so they won’t show up in video search, related videos, playlists, shows and films.How? Scroll to the bottom of any YouTube page and click the drop-down menu in the "Safety" section
Browse the web with guidance. When enabled, Supervised User for Google Chrome allows you to review a history of pages that have been viewed, allow or block certain sites, and manage which websites your family members can visit.How? To set up a supervised user on your Chromebook, start on the main sign-in screen and click Add user. On other computers, enter Chrome’s “Settings” and in the “Users” section click “Add new user”.
More secure email. Gmail offers two-step verification, which means you’ll need more than just your password to login. Whenever you sign into Gmail, you’ll be asked for a unique verification code that will be sent to your phone via text, voice call, or our mobile app. So even if your password gets stolen, it’s not enough to access your account.How? Set up 2-step verification by clicking your name or picture in the right corner then clicking “Account” followed by “Security”.
Share selectively. Google+ Circles helps put you control of what you share online. By putting the different people you know in different circles, you can share the right things with the right people.How? Learn more about creating circles here.
Posted by Vivaik Bharadwaaj, Director, Product Quality Operations Google India
