YouTube launches filter for online safety

As a parent, YouTube has been a blessing and curse. Loved the free and instantly available Dora the Explorer clip for my toddler son the other day. Less smitten when I clicked on another suggested clip: Dora on Crack.

Google launched a new online safety feature for its YouTube video site on Wednesday that's aimed at such snafus by keeping children away from content intended for more mature audiences.

The search giant said in a blog entry that its new Safety Mode tool will let parents use filtering technology to keep inappropriate content from reaching young viewers. The tool will appear as a button at the bottom of each YouTube page and can be saved onto a user's browser. By saving Safety Mode on the browser, the filter will block inappropriate videos -- even videos sent to a user.

"Diversity of content is one of the great things about YouTube," Google said in a blog. "But we know that some of you want a more controlled experience."

The move comes amid a federal review of online safety for young people. The Federal Communications Commission has launched a broad inquiry into the perils and benefits of digital technology -- the Internet, video games, cell phones and social networks -- for children.