The Barbie Girls virtual community has always taken safety very seriously. Most players have a restricted chat where they can only use options from a drop down box. Girls with Barbie Girls Mp3 players may access a less restricted chat, but only if a friends' Barbie Girls device has "visited" her computer in person. In addition, parents can opt for their daughter to use the less restrictive chat at all times with other players. All chats are filtered for inappropriate content. Girls are expected to agree to some basic safety guidelines when registering and are reminded to never share their personal information online.

The reality is, though, that the responsibility for online safety lies with the parent. Barbie Girls has acknowledged this with a new feature called "Parents' Place" where parents can monitor their child's account, set chat access, learn more about new Barbie Girls features and even create a written Internet safety pact with their daughter.

Kudos to Barbie Girls for putting responsibility back where it belongs... in the hands of Mom and Dad!

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