Google has debuted a new default SafeSearch setting, somewhere between "on" and "off," that automatically blurs explicit images in search results for most people.

Tucked into a series of small-to-medium announcements is a notable change to search results, Google's second core product after advertising.

A new setting, rolling out "in the coming months," "will blur explicit imagery if it appears in Search results when SafeSearch filtering isn't turned on," writes Google's Jen Fitzpatrick, senior vice president of Core Systems & Experiences.

Signed-in users under the age of 18 automatically have SafeSearch enabled, blocking content including "pornography, violence, and gore."

It's a way to prevent children from getting access to explicit images, but also, notably, a means of ensuring people are logged in to Google if they're looking for something… very specific.

Google turned on SafeSearch as its default for under-18 users in August 2021, having been pressured by Congress to better protect children across its services, including search and YouTube.