Carnegie Mellon's Information Networking Institute and Web Wise Kids Introduce Educational Social Networking Mobile App for Kids to the Android Market

In collaboration with The Wireless Foundation and Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families, the new "BeSeen" educational app helps teach kids how to use social networks safely and wisely.

Santa Ana, CA– January 5, 2012—Carnegie Mellon's Information Networking Institute (INI) and Web Wise Kids, a national non-profit organization and recognized leader in Internet safety education, announces the launch to the Android Market of the educational free mobile application (app) ‘BeSeen”.  ‘BeSeen’ is an app that engages kids who are beginning to use social networks in a game about online safety when accessing social networking websites via their mobile devices.  This type of social networking app is the first of its kind to hit the Android Market.

The free mobile app, ‘BeSeen ’ is now available for download in the Android Market here: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cylab.BeSeen

‘BeSeen’ was developed in collaboration with The Wireless Foundation and Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids and Family, with additional funding from The Verizon Foundation. ‘BeSeen’ was created to enable kids around the world to learn how to use social networks safely and responsibly. The app’s content and puzzles have been updated since its original launch to the iTunes Store on October 12 where the app is also available for download.

‘BeSeen’ is a single-player game that simulates a social networking site where players create a profile and travel through a condensed school-year, with each game day equaling a fraction of a minute in real life. To earn awards, the player must make positive choices when presented with challenging social situations and solve puzzles along the way. The game is designed to help kids understand responsible online behavior such as securing their personal information, protecting their privacy and defending their peers against cyber bullying. A video demo of the game has been posted to the website here.

“Here at Web Wise Kids, we are thrilled by the opportunity to introduce our app ‘BeSeen’ to the Android Market,” says Judi Westburg Warren, president of Web Wise Kids. “Entering this exciting marketplace allows us to reach thousands of kids on the topic of online safety and digital citizenship.”

BeSeen has already received an overwhelmingly positive response from its initial release to the iTunes store. BeSeen presents an opportunity for children to see how to best handle social scenarios that come into play when signing up for a social networking website.

“Some of the best feedback we are hearing from parents is that they enjoy how ‘BeSeen’ is a way for their kids to take a ‘test run’ on a social network before going so far as to register on an existing website,” continues Judi Westburg Warren. “We are excited that this app allows us to prepare youths for the digital world in a responsible and fun manner.”

Supporting assets:

• More information about the app can be found here: www.PlayBeSeen.com
• To download BeSeen from the Android Market, please visit: https://market.android.com/details?id=com.cylab.BeSeen

• Check out the new BeSeen demo video posted on the home page of the website here

• For screen shots of the product, please visit: http://playbeseen.com/downloads.asp

• A 2010 Pew Internet Project survey found that 75 percent of those ages 12-17 have cell phones, up from 45 percent in 2004.The Pew Internet Project report also documents that many teens use their cells for an array of activities beyond texting and talking. Of the 75 percent of teens who have cell phones: 83 percent use their phones to take pictures, 64 percent share pictures with others, 60 percent play music on their phones, 46 percent play games on their phones
  
• As many as 7.5 million Facebook users in the U.S. are under age 13 -- a violation of Facebook's user policies -- according to a new study by Consumer Reports reported by Ad Age. .

“Despite their popularity, social networking websites saddle children with risks to their privacy and personal information, particularly when these sites take bold and sudden actions to share and publicize the data of their users. Our latest collaboration is intended to raise cyber awareness and digital literacy in children before they face such risks and to guide them towards being responsible online citizens.” says Dena Haritos Tsamitis, director of the Information Networking Institute and head of education.

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About Web Wise Kids:

Web Wise Kids (WWK) is a national non-profit organization, “Dedicated to promoting a culture of safety, respect and responsibility for youth and families in this digital world.” WWK does this by creating and distributing interactive content through the same media in which kids and adults live their lives. WWK programs have reached over 10 million youth and thousands of parents nationwide. For more information on Web Wise Kids or to make a donation, visit http://www.webwisekids.org/donate. Follow Web Wise Kids on Twitter at @webwisekids, Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/webwisekids or YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/webwisekids.

About Carnegie Mellon University:

About Carnegie Mellon University: Carnegie Mellon (www.cmu.edu) is a private, internationally ranked research university with programs in areas ranging from engineering, science, technology and business, to public policy, the humanities and the arts. More than 11,000 students in the university's seven schools and colleges benefit from a small student-to-faculty ratio and an education characterized by its focus on creating and implementing solutions for real problems, interdisciplinary collaboration and innovation. A global university, Carnegie Mellon's main campus in the United States is in Pittsburgh, Pa.  It has campuses in California's Silicon Valley and Qatar, and programs in Asia, Australia, Europe and Mexico. The university is in the midst of a $1 billion fundraising campaign, titled "Inspire Innovation: The Campaign for Carnegie Mellon University,'' which aims to build its endowment, support faculty, students and innovative research, and enhance the physical campus with equipment and facility improvements.  

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