AOL Launches New Online Safety Site and Upgrades Parental Controls...

...to No Longer Require an AOL Screen Name

SafetyClicks.com Features Articles, Videos, Quizzes and More to Help Parents Keep Their Kids Safe Online

New York, NY .– AOL launched a new online safety education Web site, SafetyClicks.com, and introduced an improved version of its free, downloadable parental controls software (parentalcontrols.aol.com). The upgraded software no longer requires an AOL screen name and now works with any e-mail address.

The SafetyClicks.com site features articles, videos and an interactive quiz -- the “Online Safety IQ Challenge” -- designed to help educate parents about how to best protect kids and teens in a Web 2.0 world. This online resource for families will feature regular updates with topical blog posts on a wide variety of issues related to child Internet safety, including how parents can stay “plugged in” as teens delve into social networking and confront challenges such as cyberbullying. Users can comment and rate the articles as well as subscribe to regular RSS feeds.

“Keeping children safe online has always been a top priority for AOL,” said Kevin Conroy, Executive Vice President, AOL. “As kids and teens spend more time online, parents are increasingly looking to keep pace with the latest trends and technologies, and to get more involved with what their kids are doing online. SafetyClicks.com and our new parental controls software are two important tools that make it easier for families to safely navigate the Web together.”

SafetyClicks.com worked closely with ConnectSafely.org, a non-profit safety organization, to develop content. In addition, AOL continues to build relationships with organizations and Internet safety experts that have direct contact with parents, educators, kids and teens to promote awareness of online safety. To date, “Friends of SafetyClicks.com” includes the following organizations and web sites:

ConnectSafely
ESRB
Enough is Enough
Family Online Safety Institute
GetNetWise
Internet Keep Safe Coalition
iSafe
LOOKBOTHWAYS
NetFamilyNews
NetSmartz411
ParentDish
WebWiseKids
WiredSafety
WorkingMother

“A safety resource that’s by-parents-for-parents makes perfect sense for all of us, as we’re learning to negotiate the very youth-driven social Web,” added Anne Collier, Co-Director, ConnectSafely.org. “Collaborative parenting for the participatory Web is the spirit of ConnectSafely too, so we’re delighted to work with AOL on SafetyClicks.com.”

The most comprehensive free parental controls solution available, AOL Parental Controls are designed to give parents the tools they need to help protect their children from inappropriate or dangerous online material. Easy-to-use features of the software include standard age-based access controls, as well as specific controls on instant messaging and e-mail, online timers and e-mail reports on their children’s online activities. The software, a free stand-alone download available at parentalcontrols.aol.com, is designed for broadband households and no longer requires users to have an AOL screen name.