9 ms·

Kagi for Kids

198 points by ryanjamurphy 1y ago

skyyler 1y ago
Is it easy to disable the Quick Answer "feature"?
- Kuinox 1y ago
  It show up when you put a "?" at the end of your query.
- falcor84 1y ago
  I couldn't find that either. But did find myself laughing at the "always check this with an adult" disclaimer on the quick answers. It's nice to imagine an alternate world where being an adult is sufficient for proper critical thinking.
- jdknezek 1y ago
  The first image in this section shows it is a switch at the bottom of the Parental Controls settings: https://staticmedia.kagi.com/family/parental.png https://staticmedia.kagi.com/family/parental.png
jasonpeacock 1y ago
> Story behind the Poop Avatar I love it
viraptor 1y ago
> to ensure children are not exposed to harmful content. Strong claim. I like the idea, but wish they were more realistic about what they can provide. If you ever get a Reddit result you're likely one click away from harmful content. That said, I like the lenses applied in this case. It may be the best we can get today in terms of search filtering.
- al_borland 1y ago
  Kagi lets you block results for various sites you don’t like, if sites like Reddit are of concern.
  - viraptor 1y ago
    I get it, but that wasn't the point. There's lots of sites which will have your result and harmful content right next to each other. Reddit is known for being a collection of very unrelated subreddits, but you won't know every site like that. Kagi writes "ensures", but they can't really ensure anything here. They'll have the best guess of the first click being safe and even that is often problematic (what kind of safe?, for what age?).
- prawn 1y ago
  Or they head to Wikipedia, search for "fish" and end up on the Albert Fish page. I think aiming for better rather than perfect is the best option, as you said. As long as it's framed in this way, and not as an ideal option to let your impressionable child loose on the internet.
ilrwbwrkhv 1y ago
Ok this is excellent. If I can trust Kagi for kids, I would pay through the nose for this. The internet is wildly useful but it's just filled with so much trash and thanks to google going horribly terribly south, search doesn't work anymore. Which means kids are no longer able to actually have the joy of surfing the web and finding very interesting things to read. So the main question that I have is, is there a guarantee that bad sites will not show up here?
- ziddoap 1y ago
  >So the main question that I have is, is there a guarantee that bad sites will not show up here? Given that everyone has different definitions of "bad" and that someone malicious can put bad stuff on "good" sites, no.
  - doublerabbit 1y ago
    > Given that everyone has different definitions of "bad" and that someone malicious can put bad stuff on "good" sites, no. Kagi allowing you to assign what is good and bad makes your argument void. > So the main question that I have is, is there a guarantee that bad sites will not show up here? You shouldn't rely on the company alone. While it may be what Kagi is aiming for but they can only do so much. If you're concerned for your kids you too should always double check if the content is good/bad regularly.
    - ziddoap 1y ago
      >"That's what Kagi is aiming for but they can only do so much." Not sure why my argument is void, but you restating my exact point with different words is valid?
      - doublerabbit 1y ago
        Are you expecting a company to manage it completely without human intervention, yourself without verifying the results? If so, you then got to expect what Kagi decides what is bad and what is good and accept that's it. It could be bias it could be not. I like to think they know but I personally would never put all my eggs in one basket.
Roritharr 1y ago
What Kagi or anyone could work on, is an actually working version of YouTube Kids. I literally Pi-Hole Blocked all of YouTube after my son started reading the Bible after a Minecraft Influencer started preaching throughout most of his videos to the point my son became a bit too much interested in the topic. Not that I'm a rabid atheist or would deny my child such a thing, but if THAT can enter my 8yr olds brain via his short allowed time where he can browse by himself, i'm worried what else is coming his way through it. I'd love to give him access to valuable videos between rules I describe by natural language and can test myself, but nothing like this exists.
- smusamashah 1y ago
  For my 3yo, I have setup YouTube kids but with only approved content. He gets to see only selected channels or videos. YouTube with search enabled for kids isn't as walled as one might expect.
- pyuser583 1y ago
  What did these videos say? I'd like to let the leaders of our church know, so they can add it to the sermons.
- mvieira38 1y ago
  May I ask how are you dealing with the hole Youtube left in his life? I grew up on the internet, but seeing the effects it had on me and the world I don't want the same for my kids. The problem is I don't even know what to do in my own free time if not browsing Youtube or playing games, imagine a kid.
  - skydhash 1y ago
    My advice would be hobbies. Learning and practicing stuff can take a lot of your free time if you’re passionate about it, meaning you give it your full attention.
    - mvieira38 1y ago
      Maybe I'm weird, but hobbies just feel like work anyways, except maybe reading. Learning Japanese just doesn't have the same feedback loop as grinding Dota or something... Alas, how would I tackle this issue with a kid? Maybe just throw a bunch of activities at him and see what sticks as a hobby?
facile3232 1y ago
Content for kids strikes me as something you'd curate around an experience and value system you sell to parents. I can't imagine anything else would work very well. Granted, this doesn't mean we shouldn't try to build filters. I'm just rather pessimistic about a hands-off experience with such software.
- jmathai 1y ago
  I think curation is the key. I sort of trust Disney to curate content for my kids. I definitely do not trust Youtube to do it. I don't want my kids to be able to "discover" content. Why is that always the feature? Rhetorical question....I know the answer, engagement and stickiness. I just don't like the answer.
- aitchnyu 1y ago
  When I was a kid on 56k myself, the consensus was that their internet usage was monitored by adult eyes. Did curated libraries or content filtering step up to the mark?
mvieira38 1y ago
Lmao the longest section of this is about the Poop Avatar
- Minor49er 1y ago
  Speaks volumes about how they see their clientele
an_aparallel 1y ago
Lol...i see why kids are shunning "online"... The internet was exciting as a kid (for me) back in the nineties specifically because it was the wild west: unique takes, mp3s, software torrents, private p2p chats with strangers around the world, porn, and most importantly...something my parents had no clue about. In 2025, id definately prefer kicking dirt as a kid.
- decimalenough 1y ago
  As a parent of kids in 2025, there are approximately zero kids out there who share your view. However, they're all subscribed to SkibidiDirtKickerz on Tiktok, YouTube and Snapchat. Don't forget to smash that like button!
  - an_aparallel 1y ago
    Im very aware of the commercialisation of the internet. Sadly its something (tablets) given to children as a high tech dummy, more than it is a wierd and wonderful playground.
koakuma-chan 1y ago
As a person of the age of majority, I would always choose the poop avatar over something as basic as ball or duck.
dcchambers 1y ago
Disclaimer: I am a happy paid Kagi subscriber and absolutely am an advocate of their product. I really hope the company makes it work financially because we NEED something like it. I have two young kids of my own (4, almost 2) and have so far been able to avoid the issues of letting them free roam on the net, but it's obviously something that's coming. This was not something I ever paid attention to in my youth but now as a parent the open internet completely terrifies me. And I say that as a core millennial that basically grew up with the internet. The current status quo of "kids friendly" content (eg YouTube Kids) is mostly awful. I would still never let my young kids browse something like that without supervision. I am appreciative that Kagi knows this is an issue and is investing into the area.
- pants2 1y ago
  Feels like in my youth the biggest risk was stumbling on some freaky gore/porn that scarred you, but somehow that doesn't seem as bad as the risk of getting hooked on dopamine-optimized brainrot, alt-right propaganda, or micro transaction focused games.
  - Snacklive 1y ago
    This. I was a kid with too much free time and exposed to the internet with some but not enough supervision. I stumbled with some f up stuff that i still remember to this day. But somehow I'm grateful that it wasn't the current brainrot
  - dcchambers 1y ago
    Yep, that's exactly my fear. The brain rot zombification of our society. How do I stop my kids from getting suckered into an endless scrolling doom loop?
    - Aeolun 1y ago
      > How do I stop my kids from getting suckered into an endless scrolling doom loop? I think the first and best way to ensure this is to not do it yourself.
jmathai 1y ago
Kagi seems like a cool company - I'm not a customer yet. I'd like there to be technology companies I can trust - perhaps like Kagi. I have been really happy with NextDNS though. My kids, not so much. But hey ... that's parenting.
- drcongo 1y ago
  Kagi and NextDNS are the two subscriptions I have that I couldn't live without, you should give Kagi a go.
- dustincoates 1y ago
  I've moved from NextDNS to ControlD. NextDNS seems like it's been abandoned--good luck getting any level of support--and I've been really happy with the feature set of ControlD.
  - jmathai 1y ago
    Any features or capabilities in particular from ControlD that you find most useful?
ryoshu 1y ago
I read this as "Kaggle for Kids" which also seems like a lovely idea.
- airstrike 1y ago
  Seconded
yzydserd 1y ago
> Family Plan … We strive to provide a search engine that prioritizes the well-being of your loved ones, particularly the most vulnerable ones like children, by offering an ad-free and safe browsing experience. We offer two different group plans based on your specific needs. I read it a few times and saw only one plan. What’s the second one? If it’s the Team plan, that seems like poor copy. (Kagi Ultimate subscriber here)
- saintfire 1y ago
  Duo, perhaps? I'm not exactly certain but under the family tab there are two options: Duo and Family
johntitorjr 1y ago
[dead]
philips 1y ago
I love Kagi and I think the basic ideas here are a step in the right direction. I would really like to see the curation be social so I can share and collaborate with friends and my kids school. As it is I help my kid use an EOL Chromebook to find Origami designs but it is always side-by-side and I have tight NextDNS controls to keep weird weird ads away from my kids. On this topic I have been drafting and collecting thoughts on internet and digital media curation the last few nights. Here is what I have so far: Thesis: The role of children's teachers and caretakers in curating an environment for children to learn and grow is more important than ever with the overwhelming variety of books, videos, shows, etc all of varying quality and alignment with caretaker and child interests. However, curation in the digital age is also more difficult than ever. The web is a collection of walled gardens which give parents limited and inconsistent controls over what the child will see once inside the walled garden. And, adding controls on-top of a walled garden is impossible or only possible by very computer savvy users (e.g. YouTube frontends). What are ways care takers can practically and easily curate today? Examples - YouTube Kids: https://abparenting.substack.com/p/effective-youtube-kids https://abparenting.substack.com/p/effective-youtube-kids - Jellyfin or Calibre for ebooks - Open WebUI with a custom system prompt for kids Counter Examples - Netflix, Disney, Amazon, etc: difficult to non-existent curation controls - all or nothing - Kindle Kids: there are controls but for Library books the process is 12+ clicks between the Libby and Kindle app: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/can-you-share-kindle-books https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/can-you-share-kindl... "Our young students are just beginning to develop their powers of discernment. By curating a good library collection, we can help them learn to weigh the merits of a few authoritative works on a subject rather than plowing through hundreds of internet sources of uneven quality. And while a computer search is undeniably efficient, we firmly believe that browsing a shelf of books is more rewarding and more educational. It deepens students' understanding of organizational principles, brings them unexpected discoveries, and rewards patient exploration rather than offering instant gratification"
password4321 1y ago
Amazon Kids+ is a competitive option for a closed, moderated ecosystem for younger age groups.
deleted 1y ago
[deleted]
kylehotchkiss 1y ago
Wow, it’s be really great to block both CNN and Fox from parents searches. Maybe Facebook and TikTok too.

Kagi for Kids

198 points by ryanjamurphy 1y ago

skyyler 1y ago

Is it easy to disable the Quick Answer "feature"?

Kuinox 1y ago
It show up when you put a "?" at the end of your query.
falcor84 1y ago
I couldn't find that either. But did find myself laughing at the "always check this with an adult" disclaimer on the quick answers. It's nice to imagine an alternate world where being an adult is sufficient for proper critical thinking.
jdknezek 1y ago
The first image in this section shows it is a switch at the bottom of the Parental Controls settings: https://staticmedia.kagi.com/family/parental.png https://staticmedia.kagi.com/family/parental.png

jasonpeacock 1y ago

> Story behind the Poop Avatar I love it

viraptor 1y ago

> to ensure children are not exposed to harmful content. Strong claim. I like the idea, but wish they were more realistic about what they can provide. If you ever get a Reddit result you're likely one click away from harmful content. That said, I like the lenses applied in this case. It may be the best we can get today in terms of search filtering.

al_borland 1y ago
Kagi lets you block results for various sites you don’t like, if sites like Reddit are of concern.
- viraptor 1y ago
  I get it, but that wasn't the point. There's lots of sites which will have your result and harmful content right next to each other. Reddit is known for being a collection of very unrelated subreddits, but you won't know every site like that. Kagi writes "ensures", but they can't really ensure anything here. They'll have the best guess of the first click being safe and even that is often problematic (what kind of safe?, for what age?).
prawn 1y ago
Or they head to Wikipedia, search for "fish" and end up on the Albert Fish page. I think aiming for better rather than perfect is the best option, as you said. As long as it's framed in this way, and not as an ideal option to let your impressionable child loose on the internet.

ilrwbwrkhv 1y ago

Ok this is excellent. If I can trust Kagi for kids, I would pay through the nose for this. The internet is wildly useful but it's just filled with so much trash and thanks to google going horribly terribly south, search doesn't work anymore. Which means kids are no longer able to actually have the joy of surfing the web and finding very interesting things to read. So the main question that I have is, is there a guarantee that bad sites will not show up here?

ziddoap 1y ago
>So the main question that I have is, is there a guarantee that bad sites will not show up here? Given that everyone has different definitions of "bad" and that someone malicious can put bad stuff on "good" sites, no.
- doublerabbit 1y ago
  > Given that everyone has different definitions of "bad" and that someone malicious can put bad stuff on "good" sites, no. Kagi allowing you to assign what is good and bad makes your argument void. > So the main question that I have is, is there a guarantee that bad sites will not show up here? You shouldn't rely on the company alone. While it may be what Kagi is aiming for but they can only do so much. If you're concerned for your kids you too should always double check if the content is good/bad regularly.
  - ziddoap 1y ago
    >"That's what Kagi is aiming for but they can only do so much." Not sure why my argument is void, but you restating my exact point with different words is valid?
    - doublerabbit 1y ago
      Are you expecting a company to manage it completely without human intervention, yourself without verifying the results? If so, you then got to expect what Kagi decides what is bad and what is good and accept that's it. It could be bias it could be not. I like to think they know but I personally would never put all my eggs in one basket.

Roritharr 1y ago

What Kagi or anyone could work on, is an actually working version of YouTube Kids. I literally Pi-Hole Blocked all of YouTube after my son started reading the Bible after a Minecraft Influencer started preaching throughout most of his videos to the point my son became a bit too much interested in the topic. Not that I'm a rabid atheist or would deny my child such a thing, but if THAT can enter my 8yr olds brain via his short allowed time where he can browse by himself, i'm worried what else is coming his way through it. I'd love to give him access to valuable videos between rules I describe by natural language and can test myself, but nothing like this exists.

smusamashah 1y ago
For my 3yo, I have setup YouTube kids but with only approved content. He gets to see only selected channels or videos. YouTube with search enabled for kids isn't as walled as one might expect.
pyuser583 1y ago
What did these videos say? I'd like to let the leaders of our church know, so they can add it to the sermons.
mvieira38 1y ago
May I ask how are you dealing with the hole Youtube left in his life? I grew up on the internet, but seeing the effects it had on me and the world I don't want the same for my kids. The problem is I don't even know what to do in my own free time if not browsing Youtube or playing games, imagine a kid.
- skydhash 1y ago
  My advice would be hobbies. Learning and practicing stuff can take a lot of your free time if you’re passionate about it, meaning you give it your full attention.
  - mvieira38 1y ago
    Maybe I'm weird, but hobbies just feel like work anyways, except maybe reading. Learning Japanese just doesn't have the same feedback loop as grinding Dota or something... Alas, how would I tackle this issue with a kid? Maybe just throw a bunch of activities at him and see what sticks as a hobby?

facile3232 1y ago

Content for kids strikes me as something you'd curate around an experience and value system you sell to parents. I can't imagine anything else would work very well. Granted, this doesn't mean we shouldn't try to build filters. I'm just rather pessimistic about a hands-off experience with such software.

jmathai 1y ago
I think curation is the key. I sort of trust Disney to curate content for my kids. I definitely do not trust Youtube to do it. I don't want my kids to be able to "discover" content. Why is that always the feature? Rhetorical question....I know the answer, engagement and stickiness. I just don't like the answer.
aitchnyu 1y ago
When I was a kid on 56k myself, the consensus was that their internet usage was monitored by adult eyes. Did curated libraries or content filtering step up to the mark?

mvieira38 1y ago

Lmao the longest section of this is about the Poop Avatar

Minor49er 1y ago
Speaks volumes about how they see their clientele

an_aparallel 1y ago

Lol...i see why kids are shunning "online"... The internet was exciting as a kid (for me) back in the nineties specifically because it was the wild west: unique takes, mp3s, software torrents, private p2p chats with strangers around the world, porn, and most importantly...something my parents had no clue about. In 2025, id definately prefer kicking dirt as a kid.

decimalenough 1y ago
As a parent of kids in 2025, there are approximately zero kids out there who share your view. However, they're all subscribed to SkibidiDirtKickerz on Tiktok, YouTube and Snapchat. Don't forget to smash that like button!
- an_aparallel 1y ago
  Im very aware of the commercialisation of the internet. Sadly its something (tablets) given to children as a high tech dummy, more than it is a wierd and wonderful playground.

koakuma-chan 1y ago

As a person of the age of majority, I would always choose the poop avatar over something as basic as ball or duck.

dcchambers 1y ago

Disclaimer: I am a happy paid Kagi subscriber and absolutely am an advocate of their product. I really hope the company makes it work financially because we NEED something like it. I have two young kids of my own (4, almost 2) and have so far been able to avoid the issues of letting them free roam on the net, but it's obviously something that's coming. This was not something I ever paid attention to in my youth but now as a parent the open internet completely terrifies me. And I say that as a core millennial that basically grew up with the internet. The current status quo of "kids friendly" content (eg YouTube Kids) is mostly awful. I would still never let my young kids browse something like that without supervision. I am appreciative that Kagi knows this is an issue and is investing into the area.

pants2 1y ago
Feels like in my youth the biggest risk was stumbling on some freaky gore/porn that scarred you, but somehow that doesn't seem as bad as the risk of getting hooked on dopamine-optimized brainrot, alt-right propaganda, or micro transaction focused games.
- Snacklive 1y ago
  This. I was a kid with too much free time and exposed to the internet with some but not enough supervision. I stumbled with some f up stuff that i still remember to this day. But somehow I'm grateful that it wasn't the current brainrot
- dcchambers 1y ago
  Yep, that's exactly my fear. The brain rot zombification of our society. How do I stop my kids from getting suckered into an endless scrolling doom loop?
  - Aeolun 1y ago
    > How do I stop my kids from getting suckered into an endless scrolling doom loop? I think the first and best way to ensure this is to not do it yourself.

jmathai 1y ago

Kagi seems like a cool company - I'm not a customer yet. I'd like there to be technology companies I can trust - perhaps like Kagi. I have been really happy with NextDNS though. My kids, not so much. But hey ... that's parenting.

drcongo 1y ago
Kagi and NextDNS are the two subscriptions I have that I couldn't live without, you should give Kagi a go.
dustincoates 1y ago
I've moved from NextDNS to ControlD. NextDNS seems like it's been abandoned--good luck getting any level of support--and I've been really happy with the feature set of ControlD.
- jmathai 1y ago
  Any features or capabilities in particular from ControlD that you find most useful?

ryoshu 1y ago

I read this as "Kaggle for Kids" which also seems like a lovely idea.

airstrike 1y ago
Seconded

yzydserd 1y ago

> Family Plan … We strive to provide a search engine that prioritizes the well-being of your loved ones, particularly the most vulnerable ones like children, by offering an ad-free and safe browsing experience. We offer two different group plans based on your specific needs. I read it a few times and saw only one plan. What’s the second one? If it’s the Team plan, that seems like poor copy. (Kagi Ultimate subscriber here)

saintfire 1y ago
Duo, perhaps? I'm not exactly certain but under the family tab there are two options: Duo and Family

johntitorjr 1y ago

[dead]

philips 1y ago

I love Kagi and I think the basic ideas here are a step in the right direction. I would really like to see the curation be social so I can share and collaborate with friends and my kids school. As it is I help my kid use an EOL Chromebook to find Origami designs but it is always side-by-side and I have tight NextDNS controls to keep weird weird ads away from my kids. On this topic I have been drafting and collecting thoughts on internet and digital media curation the last few nights. Here is what I have so far: Thesis: The role of children's teachers and caretakers in curating an environment for children to learn and grow is more important than ever with the overwhelming variety of books, videos, shows, etc all of varying quality and alignment with caretaker and child interests. However, curation in the digital age is also more difficult than ever. The web is a collection of walled gardens which give parents limited and inconsistent controls over what the child will see once inside the walled garden. And, adding controls on-top of a walled garden is impossible or only possible by very computer savvy users (e.g. YouTube frontends). What are ways care takers can practically and easily curate today? Examples - YouTube Kids: https://abparenting.substack.com/p/effective-youtube-kids https://abparenting.substack.com/p/effective-youtube-kids - Jellyfin or Calibre for ebooks - Open WebUI with a custom system prompt for kids Counter Examples - Netflix, Disney, Amazon, etc: difficult to non-existent curation controls - all or nothing - Kindle Kids: there are controls but for Library books the process is 12+ clicks between the Libby and Kindle app: https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/can-you-share-kindle-books https://www.aboutamazon.com/news/devices/can-you-share-kindl... "Our young students are just beginning to develop their powers of discernment. By curating a good library collection, we can help them learn to weigh the merits of a few authoritative works on a subject rather than plowing through hundreds of internet sources of uneven quality. And while a computer search is undeniably efficient, we firmly believe that browsing a shelf of books is more rewarding and more educational. It deepens students' understanding of organizational principles, brings them unexpected discoveries, and rewards patient exploration rather than offering instant gratification"

password4321 1y ago

Amazon Kids+ is a competitive option for a closed, moderated ecosystem for younger age groups.

deleted 1y ago

[deleted]

kylehotchkiss 1y ago

Wow, it’s be really great to block both CNN and Fox from parents searches. Maybe Facebook and TikTok too.