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Troubleshooting SafeSearch

Updated

Ensuring that SafeSearch is forced on and that it isn't bypassed can be a sticking point, so we've put together a comprehensive guide that should help you reliably enforce SafeSearch and troubleshoot it if it is not working.

locked-safesearch.png

The following Search Engines have a SafeSearch mode that can be reliably enforced:

  1. Google Search
  2. Bing
  3. DuckDuckGo
  4. Brave Search
  5. Yahoo
  6. Yandex

This is not to be confused with a web browser; a web browser allows you to use multiple search engines. For example, you could visit https://www.bing.com/ on Google Chrome. That's why we also recommend checking the guides below, depending on the web browser/search engine you prefer:

How to Test If SafeSearch is Locked On

Follow these general steps to test if it's locked on properly.

1) Clear your device's DNS cache

For all browsers, you may need to clear the DNS cache to see results more quickly. This is our recommended workflow:

  1. Use Private browsing/incognito windows provided by most web browsers. Close and re-open when retesting SafeSearch settings. You can also restart the web browser if you're still running into issues.
  2. If you are using an App like the Google App, close and re-open the app between tests.

 

2) Checking if Safe Search is enforced

These are the most reliable ways to check if Safe Search is locked on:

  • Google: google.com/safesearch shows whether or not it is locked on. If you can toggle the strictness, then it is not locked on. You can visit this webpage in any browser on any device to check the status of your browsing session.
  • Bing: Click the hamburger menu > SafeSearch. It should be set to strict, and you shouldn't have the option to change SafeSearch strictness.
  • DuckDuckGo: Checking if explicit results are filtered is the most reliable verification approach. The DuckDuckGo interface will still allow you to toggle the SafeSearch strictness, but this should not work.
  • Brave: Similar to DuckDuckGo, Brave will still allow you to toggle SafeSearch strictness in the web interface even if it is locked on. The "source of truth" is verifying that explicit results are filtered out.

If SafeSearch Still Isn't Enforced Properly...

  • Check which search engine you're using. Unfortunately, not all search engines support SafeSearch, even though the most common ones do. Google search, Bing, DuckDuckDuckGo, and Brave search all support SafeSearch. See this doc for advice on blocking alternative search engines.
  • Check which web browser you're using (the actual browser app or application). Tech Lockdown only supports Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Safari, Firefox, and the Brave Browser.
  • If you're enforcing SafeSearch with a Config File, consider also using the Content Policy to enforce SafeSearch. Config files enforce SafeSearch in a way that isn't always supported by the web browser app you might be using; Safari should most definitely be supported, though.
  • If you're enforcing SafeSearch with the Content Policy, use these instructions to check for a potential DNS leak.

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