Ecosia – WISE Score & Parent Review | Screenwise

Ecosia

Name: Screenwise
Author: Screenwise

app2013

68%

WISE Score

4.7

App Store

A search engine that plants trees with its ad revenue—Google with a conscience and solar panels.

Ecosia

app

Everyone, 2013

68%

WISE Score

4.7

App Store

A search engine that plants trees with its ad revenue—Google with a conscience and solar panels.

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Where to Find

App Store

Google Play

Screenwise Verdict

Ecosia is that rare app that lets you feel good about something you're doing anyway. It's not going to revolutionize your kid's digital life, but if you're already trying to make thoughtful tech choices, switching your family's default search engine to one that plants trees is a no-brainer.

The search results are fine—not Google-level, but perfectly adequate for homework, recipe hunting, and finding out what year Minecraft came out for the 47th time. The real value is the lesson it teaches: that companies can operate differently, that profit doesn't have to be the only motive, and that small daily actions add up.

Just remember it's still a portal to the entire internet, so Kids Mode for younger users and the usual digital supervision rules apply. But as a family default? Solid choice.

Age Fit

Best for families with kids 8+ who are starting to do their own web searches. Younger kids (5-7) can use it with Kids Mode enabled and parental supervision. The environmental mission resonates most with kids old enough to understand climate change and personal impact.

WISE Breakdown

Wholesome

Ecosia promotes environmental stewardship and climate action in a non-preachy way—it's just a search engine that happens to plant trees. The mission is genuinely positive without being manipulative or guilt-tripping. No toxic elements, no chaos, just straightforward functionality with a good cause baked in.

Imaginative

It's a search engine. A utilitarian tool. Yes, it has a creative mission (using ad revenue for reforestation), but the app itself doesn't invite exploration, building, or creative expression. You search, you get results, trees get planted. That's it. The imaginative element is in what you *do* with the search results, not the app itself.

Safe

Ecosia has strong privacy credentials—encrypted searches, minimal data collection, transparent financials. The Kids Mode feature is a plus. However, it's still a search engine that can surface any internet content, which means kids could potentially find inappropriate material if not supervised. The tool itself is safe; the internet it accesses is not. No ads targeting kids, no manipulative monetization (it's not-for-profit and steward-owned).

Enriching

Using Ecosia teaches kids that everyday digital actions can have real-world impact—it's a tangible lesson in environmental responsibility and ethical consumption. The monthly financial reports model transparency. But it's still fundamentally a search engine, so the enrichment comes from the values it embodies rather than active skill-building. It's more 'background ethics education' than 'active learning tool.'

Parent Info

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Why It Might Be Great

Teaches kids that tech choices have real-world impact—230+ million trees planted across 35 countries
Strong privacy stance: encrypted searches, minimal data collection, and transparent monthly financial reports
Kids Mode available for safer browsing with younger children
Carbon-positive operations powered by renewable energy—their solar plants generate twice what they need
Not-for-profit, steward-owned structure means no shareholders pressuring for sketchy monetization

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What to Watch For

It's still a search engine accessing the open internet—kids can find inappropriate content if unsupervised
Apple rates it 16+ (likely due to unrestricted web access), so definitely use Kids Mode with younger children
Search quality may not match Google's—it uses Bing's algorithm with privacy tweaks, so results can be hit-or-miss

Conversation Starters

"How do you think a free app can afford to plant millions of trees? Let's look at their financial reports together."
"What do you think is more important—getting the absolute best search results, or using a tool that helps the planet?"
"If every person who uses Google switched to Ecosia, how much of a difference do you think it would make?"

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