The Quest to Improve Online Search
The impact of a simple query reformulation on result quality
A. Darie (TU Delft - Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science)
Hrishita Chakrabarti – Mentor (TU Delft - Web Information Systems)
Maria Soledad Pera – Mentor (Boise State University)
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Abstract
As children increasingly turn to general-purpose search engines for learning and exploration, concerns arise about the relevance and safety of the content they encounter. These platforms are designed primarily for adults, often failing to deliver child-friendly results. One existing strategy is to append the phrase "for kids" to search queries, a technique previously shown to improve content relevance. However, those findings are outdated and based on limited evaluation methods. Since then, web content and search engine algorithms have evolved significantly, leaving an open question: how does this simple strategy impact the search quality for young users today? Since children continue encountering complex or unsafe content online, reassessing this approach is important. We aim to evaluate the impact of this query modification across three key dimensions: readability, language safety, and domain trustworthiness. Our results show that, while appending "for kids" modestly improves readability, it does not have a positive impact on the profanity rates or presence of unsafe URLs. These findings suggest that although the strategy remains partially effective, it is not a one-size-fits-all solution. This work highlights the need for more adaptive and child-aware search interventions in modern search environments.