Yahoo! introduces Yahoo! Safely website in conjunction with Safer Internet Day on 8th February to demonstrate its longtime commitment to providing a safer online experience for children. Press Release after the break.
Yahoo! Supports Safer Internet Day on February 8, 2011 With Its Global Commitment to Creating Safer Online Experiences for Children
Yahoo! Safely launches in 27 countries providing online safety tips for educators, parents and teens around the world
SINGAPORE, Feb. 7, 2011 – Yahoo! Inc. (NASDAQ: YHOO) introduces Yahoo! Safely worldwide demonstrating its longtime commitment to providing a safer online experience for children, in the week leading up to Safer Internet Day on February 8th. The Yahoo! Safely site (safely.yahoo.com) is designed to provide information and advice on making smart choices online and supports Safer Internet Day’s goals to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones among children and young people globally. The global resource informs parents, educators and teens about important topics such as managing digital reputations, avoiding cyber-bullying, and learning how to minimize risks on mobile devices, as well as provides guidance on how to safely use specific Yahoo! products.
In support of Safer Internet Day 2011 (www.saferinternet.org), Yahoo! has joined forces with InSafe Network, an initiative supported by the European Commission to raise Internet safety awareness across Europe and the globe. This year efforts will address safety around “virtual lives” encompassing online gaming and social networking. The slogan for 2011 is, “It’s more than a game, it’s your life.”
“Online safety is a priority for Yahoo! and we are celebrating Safer Internet Day this year to help parents, educators and children safeguard themselves and create positive and productive web experiences,” said Catherine Teitelbaum, Yahoo!’s director of child safety and product policy. “Yahoo! Safely helps address the online issues children around the world are facing today including mobile usage, cyber-bullying and digital reputation. It’s important that we take a proactive approach and work together as a global community to help foster a safer online experience for our children.
Yahoo!’s online safety survey revealed that parents are in fact doing their part with 70% of parents talking to their children about online safety 2-3 times a year. As one of the only global safety resources, Yahoo! Safely gives parents around the world the tools and guidance to have these on going, and productive conversations with their children. Yahoo! Safely provides locally relevant information to customers in 27 countries and 14 languages and is available in: Argentina, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Canada (English & French), Chile, Colombia, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, United Kingdom, Venezuela, Vietnam.
For Safer Internet Day 2011, Yahoo! is sharing top 5 tips for youth:
Own your digital reputation. Stop and think before you share a thought or forward a photo. The Internet is a public space, so before you share photos or personal details, make sure it’s info that you’d share with teachers, colleges, or job prospects.
Think about what you text: Texting is core to staying connected with your friends, and half of you send more than 1500 texts a day[1]. What you text is a reflection of you, so be thoughtful about what you text and confident that your texts portray you the right way.
Have a family chat. Talking with your parents or guardians doesn’t mean giving up your privacy. Everyone benefits when you’re on the same page about online activities, including when you can go online, how long you can stay, and what activities you can do online.
Know your rights. You have the right to not respond to email or other messages that are inappropriate or make you feel uncomfortable. If you get a message that doesn’t feel right, show it to your parents, guardians, or another trusted adult and report the incident to your Internet service provider.
Protect your personal information. When you send email, texts, photos or instant messages to people who are not trusted friends or family, don’t give out personal information they could use to find your physical location or exploit you. Guard your password like a hawk.
About Yahoo!’s online child safety efforts:
Yahoo! is a longtime industry leader on child safety and has made it a company priority to protect children online by creating tools for people to safeguard themselves and by supporting efforts to educate children, parents and educators about safer online experiences. Yahoo! Safely (safely.yahoo.com) has distinct resources and links for parents, educators and teens and hosts comprehensive guides for safer practices for using Yahoo! products including Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! Messenger, Yahoo! Groups. Yahoo! is a thought leader and works collaboratively with its industry peers, child safety groups, and law enforcement to find new ways to protect children online. Yahoo! supports the work of several nonprofit Internet safety organizations including Common Sense Media, ConnectSafely, FOSI, Internet Keep Safe Coalition, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, and WiredSafety, as well as related efforts from other groups such as Ad Council, CARU/BBB, and NCSA.
About Yahoo!:
Yahoo! (NASDAQ: YHOO) is an innovative technology company that operates the largest digital media, content, and communications business in the world. Yahoo! keeps more than half a billion consumers worldwide connected to what matters to them most, and delivers powerful audience solutions to advertisers through its unique combination of Science + Art + Scale. Yahoo! is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California. For more information, visit the pressroom (pressroom.yahoo.com) or the company’s blog, Yodel Anecdotal (yodel.yahoo.com).
[1] Pew Internet: “Teens and Mobile Phones,” April 20, 2010
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