ST. LOUIS, MO, Oct. 1, 2009 (Marketwire) --
ST. LOUIS, MO -- (Marketwire) -- 10/01/09 -- Build-A-Bear Workshop®, in partnership with WiredSafety.org, is promoting October as Stop Cyberbullying Month at Build-A-Bear Workshop stores and in its online virtual world, buildabearville.com®. The interactive entertainment retailer of customized stuffed animals is focusing on online safety education and how to help prevent cyberbullying with a number of programs.
Cyberbullying is the use of digital technology as a weapon by one minor to hurt another minor and it is a growing problem. The Build-A-Bear Workshop online safety program is geared towards children and parents and has been developed in association with leading cyber safety expert Parry Aftab, executive director and founder of WiredSafety.org. The organization is the world's largest cyber safety group that aims to increase online safety awareness by providing families with resources and usage guidelines. The organization also operates StopCyberbullying.org.
In early 2009, Build-A-Bear Workshop received the 2009 WiredKids Best of the Web Award sponsored by WiredSafety.org and recently the company was included in the WiredSafety StopCyberbullying Toolkit for Schools, a free resource for educators sponsored by industry leaders. The company has also earned the Socially Safe Seal and Socially Safe Kids Seal from SociallySafe.org, for its Web site and virtual world.
In addition to the online and in store Stop Cyberbullying program, Build-A-Bear Workshop is participating with other corporate leaders and child advocacy groups in a first ever Stop Cyberbullying Coalition event to be held on Oct. 13 in Washington D.C. on Capitol Hill. Youth cyber experts from WiredSafety will represent the teen and tween viewpoint along with Build-A-Bear Workshop and other companies who will share cyber safety policies and practices.
According to Parry Aftab, who is advising Build-A-Bear Workshop on the Stop Cyberbullying Program, "In recent polls conducted by WiredSafety, cyberbullying has been seen in kids as young as seven, with an increase in cyberbullying among fourth-graders. I am pleased that top brands, such as Build-A-Bear Workshop, have stepped up to the challenge to help provide safe online spaces for kids. This is a critical issue; with leading companies working together, we are accomplishing our mutual goals of making safety in the online space a top priority."
"Our objective is to be part of the solution to stop cyberbullying and to help ensure that buildabearville.com is as safe as it can be," said Maxine Clark, founder and chief executive bear of Build-A-Bear Workshop. "We are a company committed to children and families and protecting kids is paramount to us.
