Last updated on 22 June 2026
When you install a computer station in class or in the TICE room, the question of the default search engine always arises. Google is effective. But for students between the ages of 6 and 12, it is also an open door to content that they should not come across.
In short, something better suited is needed. That's why Qwant Junior is here.
Launched a few years ago and since then recommended by Education Nationale, this search engine designed for 6-12 year olds has evolved well since its inception. New interface in 2025, weekly edutainment content, mobile application: this is no longer the timid tool presented here in 2016. It deserved a serious update.
Table of Contents
What Qwant Junior offers today
The homepage welcomes students with a colourful and structured interface. Five main themes can be accessed directly: web research, news, learning related to National Education programmes, games and activities. Nothing superfluous. The interface is readable, even for CE2 students.
The most interesting innovation since 2023 is the partnership with BayaM, the application of Bayard Jeunesse and Milan. Each week, a selection of documentaries, games, quizzes, stories and activities related to the highlights of the year is highlighted on the homepage, without advertising or subscription fees. For a teacher looking for quality content to offer independently to primary schools, this is a real plus.
A dictionary is integrated directly into the interface. And for school research, a tab dedicated to education makes it possible to carry out research exclusively on educational and institutional sites: recognized sites, certified thematic channels, resources related to the programs.
Security and privacy: What Qwant Junior Guarantees
This is often the first question for teaching teams and parents. This is what you need to know.
Inappropriate content is filtered via a blacklist fed by the University of Toulouse, which lists more than 4.5 million blocked domain names and keywords. Algorithms continuously analyze metadata, photos and keywords to enrich this list regularly.
Qwant partnered in 2021 with jeprotegemonenfant.gouv.fr, the government initiative to prevent the exposure of minors to pornography.
Personal data side: Qwant Junior does not keep students’ search history or personal data. The research is never traced. No data resale. No advertising profiling.
For school use, this is the minimum level of guarantee that one is entitled to expect. And here, it seems held.
The Qwant Junior mobile app
A free application Qwant Junior is available on iOS. It includes the same filtering and confidentiality guarantees as the web version. It no longer seems to exist for Android.
The interface was completely redesigned in February 2025: new graphic identity, new mascot, colorful themes. The result is more readable, better suited for tablet use in class.
No account is required to use the application. This is an important point for schools that do not want to create accounts for their students.
The Education version has disappeared
For a long time, there was also a version dedicated to classes. It allowed teachers to open accounts with their academic address, manage collaborative Notebooks with their students and report inappropriate content directly from the results.
This version no longer exists. And that is a pity.
This is a real loss for advanced pedagogical uses. The collaborative curation and teacher reporting features were precisely what distinguished Qwant Junior from a simple filtered engine. If you still find academic tutorials that refer to it, they are obsolete.
What I like
Free, without advertising, without mandatory account. This is rare and deserves to be highlighted.
BayaM content are a real added value. A quality weekly editorial selection, integrated directly into the search engine, without leaving the secure context.
Data guarantees are serious and verifiable: government partnership, university blacklist, lack of tracking. It is transparent.
What I like less
The Disappearance of the Education version is the main setback of this tool. Collaborative Notebooks and teacher reporting had real pedagogical value. Today, Qwant Junior remains a good filtered engine, but it is no longer a structured documentary work tool for the classroom.
The tool is available only in France, in French. No international version, no content in other languages. For a bilingual class or a foreign language sequence, you will have to look elsewhere.
The Qwant Junior project seems a little sleepy in reality. He deserves a new awakening.
In practice
- Web access: qwantjunior.com
- iOS application: available on the App Store
- Android application: not available
- Account required: no
- Price: free
- Advertising: none
- Student data: no collection, no preserved history
- Language: French only
- Availability: France only
To go further on Tools Tice
If you are interested in the question of the search engine in class, these articles may supplement the discussion:
- 4 search engines to replace Google – An overview of alternatives for privacy-conscious teachers: DuckDuckGo, Qwant, StartPage …
- Ecosia: an eco-friendly search engine with integrated AI — An alternative to Google planting trees. Can be used in class, without personal data.
- Vikidia, a Wikipedia adapted for children — The online encyclopedia designed for 8-13 year olds, ideal in addition to Qwant Junior for presentations.
- Framatoolbox: the Free Digital Toolkit for Teachers — Online utilities without account, without advertising, without collected data. In the same spirit as Qwant Junior.
- 7 tools from La Digitale to share content with your students — Free tools to organise and share web resources in the classroom, without data exploitation.
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