URSOR, The All-In-One Solution For Kids Browsing The Internet Safely

URSOR, a London-based safe browser and search engine for kids, was officially launched by ed-tech veteran Filippo Yacob to give children aged 4-12 freedom to explore, learn, and create online whilst keeping them protected from harmful content and maintaining their privacy at all times.

URSOR was created to protect children whilst they explore the internet. It allows them to access essential learning materials, have fun, and discover new interests online. This is all achieved in a safe space where parents can take comfort knowing that their child is not tracked on any site they access and inappropriate content is filtered out. URSOR, essentially creates a “kid-first internet” of approved content by parents that care, and enhance their learning whilst on a device.

URSOR has been created at a time where childhoods are more digital than ever and nearly half of all children aged eight and under have their own connected tablet device, spending an average of 2.25 hours a day on screens. Children are left at higher risks of encountering unsafe websites, dangerous ads and more, and according to Pew Research in 2020, at least 46% of parents have said their children have encountered inappropriate content online, this alarming percentage leaves parents worrying what their child may accidentally encounter whilst browsing the internet. It is also estimated that a staggering 82% of children aged 8 to 12 have profiles on social media and messaging apps, according to research from CyberSafeKids.

URSOR, allows kids to access quality content on the Internet safely. It is a London based, employee owned company, that was launched to address this problem.  URSOR co-founder and CEO – Filippo Yacob, an Ed-tech veteran and Forbes 30 Under 30 list maker, alongside Co-founder and CTO – Dr. Joe Brown, who holds a PhD in Machine Learning from Oxford University, and product designer Alexis Bardini have teamed up to create an all-in-one app solution that brings a safer and more creative internet experience to families. 

The idea for URSOR came into being one afternoon when co-founder and CEO, Filippo Yacob was watching YouTube videos with his two children on their tablets. It occurred to Filippo that he had little-to-no control of the content his kids would be able to access, and that it was very difficult to curate the type of content he wanted his children to consume. As an experienced ed-tech entrepreneur and product builder, Filippo took matters into his own hands to ensure his children, and all children globally with access to digital devices, would not encounter harmful content by creating and launching URSOR with the help of Dr. Joe Brown and Alexis Bardini.

Filippo Yacob is also the former creator of Cubetto, the screenless coding Robot used by over 20 million children in 180 countries to teach computational thinking in early learning, an invention that is in the permanent collection of the V&A in London (Victoria & Albert Museum), and kids fintech Pigzbe an award winning pocket money app and connected piggy-bank for a generation of kids growing up with digital money, which was acquired by ADCB (Abu Dhabi Commercial Bank) in Q1 2021, and has now relaunched in the UAE as part of the Al Hilal Bank App. 

Filippo Yacob comments:

“The Internet is great, but it wasn’t built for kids… Digital childhoods are a phenomena that busy parents today simply have to deal with. I just wanted a tool that would make the Internet a better place for my own children and the children of my friends, but I quickly realized that tool didn’t exist, and that safe access to the internet is a problem shared by every single parent with an Internet connection. Our mission at URSOR is to make the internet a tool for parenting, as opposed to something parents have to worry about.”

URSOR takes a human first approach to curating the links children are able to access and browse through, creating what they call a “kid-first Internet”. The videos, websites and experiences accessible are all hand-picked by a team of parents that care, not by a recommender system. The children-focused app also gives parents access to tools such as screen time management, a simple dashboard that gives them visibility on what their children are searching and clicking on, and the ability to block other apps while using URSOR to prevent children from erratic app hopping. Unlike other Browsers and Search Engines that generate revenue by serving ads and selling user generated data, URSOR doesn’t generate any revenue from advertisers or sponsors, and collects no data from its customers..