Kids, teens or their parents can now ask Google to remove photos from the results of the company’s ‘image search’ search engine. This is a new protection feature that is being rolled out worldwide.

 

You can now make photos of children ‘unsearchable’ on Google. “We believe this change will give young people more control over their digital footprint and where their images can be found in the search engine,” Google said in a blog post. The process may require additional verification, but the company will let you know when the images will be taken down.

The feature is being rolled out worldwide. Users within the EU could already ask, under the ‘right to be forgotten’, to have their data removed from the search results. The system will probably be broader and simpler for children.

The change was announced by Google in August and is now in effect. The intention is to offer minors more privacy, possibly pending stricter legislation in the US. Other announcements made by Google then included making video uploads private from children by default and a cleanup of YouTube channels aimed at children.