Microsoft announce new “Kids Mode” to Edge browser
Microsoft has announced their browser Edge will get a Kids Mode aimed towards providing a safer online environment for children.
Many websites, especially video sites and streaming services, have their own child friendly versions that filter out adult content, providing kids with a safe online experience and a worry-free experience for parents. For example, both Netflix and YouTube have child specific accounts that parents can set up.
However, those safeguards provided by a specific website or service will soon disappear if the child ventures off the site and elsewhere into the murky depths of cyberspace.
However, if the Internet browser itself incorporates a kid safe zone, then this will provide more freedom for a child who can visit different websites without having to worry about being exposed to adult content, and parents don’t have to worry that their kids will wind up landing on a website aimed towards adults.
The Kids Mode is still in the testing phase but features announced so far include –
– The browser going into full screen mode with a homepage that includes links to child friendly websites.
– Children can only access family friendly websites approved by Microsoft Edge, but parents can edit this list and add or remove websites as they wish.
– A password will be required to exit Kids Mode to return to normal browsing.
– Access to Bing’s SafeSearch search engine that filters out adult themed search results.
– The site includes two different kids browsing profiles, 5-8 years and 9-12 years.
– Family friendly themed including desktop wallpapers.
– Limited tracking capabilities in online advertisements.
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One of the most significant advantages to this Kids Mode is that it doesn’t require parents to set up parental controls on different websites or apps, nor does it require any special type of account with Microsoft. Parents can just enable the Kids Mode feature from Microsoft Edge using the Profile Picker and it’s all set up to go (though parents may want to edit the approved sites list.)
When using for the first time, users will need to answer a few questions.
But we always iterate the advice that this shouldn’t replace some degree of adult supervision when children use the Internet. We already know that, even with kid friendly controls turned on, there is still a chance of children being exposed to inappropriate content online. And because this new browser feature will depend on a number of different websites and services from reliably filtering out inappropriate content all of the time, we already know that things can (and sometimes do) go wrong.
But it’s good to see that Internet browsers going in this direction which will give kids more freedom when surfing the Internet. The feature is currently being tested by Edge and will roll out to the public soon.
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