We’ve heard from some educators that they want to be able use Haiku Deck with their students, but are concerned by the recommended age rating in iTunes. Here’s the story.

When you create a Haiku Deck, our app combs through more than 40 million Creative Commons licensed images that were tagged with keywords when they were posted on the Internet. Our goal is to bring back beautiful and relevant pictures to accompany your words. Some photo sources have filters to prevent inappropriate content from being returned in the results. Whenever possible, we use these filters.

We also maintain a list of inappropriate search terms that will not yield the kind of image results that mischievous little eyes will find interesting. That said, the problem of in appropriate images is more complex than simply preventing younger users from running inappropriate searches. Photos are sometimes tagged by the photographer in unpredictable ways.

We’ll continue to work on a solution that strikes the right balance between returning great photo results and protecting little eyes, but for the time being, we feel the 12+ rating is the best way to communicate to teachers and parents that, despite our intentions, inappropriate content may appear in the app. For some creative workarounds, be sure to check out our top Teacher Appreciation Tips. Over time we hope to make Haiku Deck more accessible to a broader audience.

Until then, enjoy this inspiring deck, safe for viewers of all ages.