Defined:
Tools which are designed primarily to serve the needs of children, either in focus, or by filtering out sites that some parents and teachers might find inappropriate for kids. These usually include sites that deal with explicit sexual matters, violence, hate speech, gambling and drug use. Additionally, advertising is usually restricted to kids products and there is less of it when compared to the other search tools.
Advantages:
- Content is filtered so your chances of finding offensive material are greatly decreased
- Content is directed towards kids so relevant sites will be more prevalent
- Language on the site is generally geared towards kids so it's easy to understand
- Potentially offensive advertising is generally not accepted by site
Disadvantages:
- Content is often filtered very tightly and by computer programs, therefore some sites without offensive material will still be excluded. E.G. Sex education sites, sites dealing with diseases that affect reproductive areas, etc.
- Don't list as many or have the level of coverage that the "adult" search tools do
Examples:
Yahooligans
Ask Jeeves for Kids
Linkasaurus