Bellevue’s InfoSpace Inc., makers of a variety of online and mobile services, has introduced Zoo.com, a search engine meant to help children aged 8-13 search the Internet while filtering out sexually explicit content.
Like other meta-search services from InfoSpace which compile results from multiple search engines, Zoo.com will consolidate search results from Google, Yahoo and Wikipedia, as well as news results from ABC News, Fox News and Yahoo.
The engine filters the results against a database of more than 50,000 “adult” words and phrases, to reduce the risk of children’s exposure to inappropriate or harmful material on the Web. Content pertaining to guns, violence and unlawful drugs is also filtered.
In a test of the service conducted by Seattle P:-I Report Dan Richman,If a search uses a preflagged word or phrase, Zoo.com returns no results and displays the notice, “Search cannot be completed.”
For example, the search term “sex” returns no results, but “sex education” provides links to 68 sites with news and didactic content. The term “breast” yields no links, but “breast cancer” connects the searcher to 67 sites.
Protection levels on the simple site aren’t adjustable, as they are on some competing search engines. A feedback feature lets users, or their parents, send comments or propose new “adult” entries.
InfoSpace makes money every time a Zoo.com user clicks on a returned search result that’s sponsored by an advertiser. Diefendorf said InfoSpace will assess Zoo.com’s success by how many visitors it attracts, but he wouldn’t name a target figure.
According to a new national survey conducted by InfoSpace(1), 49 percent of American kids ages 8-13 use the Internet as their #1 source of information when doing homework or writing reports for school. That’s 20 percent more than use the library, and 30 percent more than use books or materials from home as their resource of choice. As kids become increasingly reliant on the Internet for homework and fun, their likelihood of encountering offensive material can often increase as well. Although a vast majority of parents say their child does not use the Internet without their supervision, their child often reports otherwise, with a majority saying they do use the Internet without parental supervision.
“For parents, the Internet has become one of the biggest concerns when it comes to protecting your child in today’s world,” said Jeannie Ralston, parenting writer, expert and mother of two young children. “Zoo.com is a no-brainer for parents — it offers them peace of mind that their child can have a safe, fun experience when searching the Web, plus there is no software to download and it’s free.”
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