Fostering safe online experiences is more important than ever as young people are among the first to adopt the technology and gadgets entering our homes.  Children as young as 15 months are playing with iPads, approximately 1 in 3 teens in the US are sending over 3000/texts a month and sadly, cyberbullying incidents are on the rise. Parents and educators across the globe are looking for practical advice and solutions on how to foster children’s online safety with today’s always on, always available technology.

This year, during global Safer Internet Day on Feb. 8, 2011, the industry will be coming together to help educate families and promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones among children and youth.

Online safety is a priority for Yahoo! and we are celebrating global Safer Internet Day by introducing Yahoo! Safely in 26 countries across 14 languages providing parents, educators and youth with information and advice about making smart choices online.  As one of the only global safety resources, Yahoo! Safely offers locally relevant advice on important topics such as managing digital reputations, avoiding cyber-bullying, and learning how to minimize risks on mobile devices.

In the Middle East, Yahoo! Maktoob is also launching a localized online safety resource called Yahoo! Safety Oasis. Yahoo! Safety Oasis educates Arabic-speaking children about how to properly surf the net and protect their personal privacy through a series of fun, interactive edu-tainment courses offered through a number of Yahoo! Maktoob channels.

Last year, 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.  Now Yahoo! Safely and Yahoo! Safety Oasis give parents and educators around the world the tools and guidance to have these ongoing and productive conversations with their children.

It’s important that we work together as a global community to help create a safer and positive online experience for our children. We are thrilled to be able to make an impact and help raise global awareness around Safer Internet Day 2011.

Catherine Teitelbaum, Yahoo!’s director of child safety and product policy