Yahoo! Kids to End Service on December 4, 2026 After 29 Years
LINE Yahoo announced on September 28, 2026 that it will end its children's portal site "Yahoo! Kids" on December 4, 2026. The service remains usable as usual through December 3. A special page looking back on memories of the site is scheduled for November. The company cited a review of how it provides youth protection and literacy education, pointing to a changed digital environment for children: internet use has expanded past PC searching and browsing to school devices, smartphones, social media, messengers, video, and generative AI. Launched in 1997, Yahoo! Kids offered filtered search, study material, games, and picture encyclopedias, and by 2024 carried about 3,200 pieces of content. The closure notice thanks users: "Yahoo! Kids has supported everyone's 'I want to know!' for 29 years." After the site ends, LINE Yahoo says it will keep and strengthen information ethics and digital literacy education, measures against online troubles, consultation services, and cooperation with schools, local governments, and parents.