Frequently Asked Questions

What is AOL SafeSocial?

SafeSocial helps good parents be great parents in the digital age by providing the tools you need to help keep your kids safe online, while letting them be social.

With AOL SafeSocial, you get a complete view of your child's online social networking activities: sites where your child has accounts, who your child is friends with, and what content your child is posting online and what's being posted about them. We also let you know when you need to get involved, be it an inappropriate photograph that has been uploaded on your child's account or an online "friend" who may not be trustworthy.

Check out the FAQs below to learn more about SafeSocial.

Already signed up? Visit AOL SafeSocial Help for more frequently asked questions and how-to's.

Why do I need AOL SafeSocial?

With the surge in social networking sites today, many parents worry about keeping track of their children's involvement on these sites. Simply becoming online "friends" with your child on Facebook cannot ensure his or her safety. AOL SafeSocial provides tools to help you stay knowledgeable about your kids' online lives, helping ensure they don't get in harm's way.

AOL SafeSocial also helps protect your kids' privacy. You can choose to review only the posts that our experts have flagged and reported for your attention, so you won't need to wade through hundreds of conversations to spot trouble. And we cross-reference your kid's friends with other sites to confirm these friends are who they say they are.

How does AOL SafeSocial work?

SafeSocial searches multiple databases across the web to locate your child’s online social networking accounts, and then automatically audits their online friends, photos and activity for signs of danger. You will be alerted to anyone or anything that doesn’t seem quite right.

After the initial review, SafeSocial’s advanced technology keeps you informed, scanning for updates and changes to your child’s account(s), and regularly reporting any new activity that could be of concern. Parents don't need to manually go through all of their children’s social networking accounts or read over their shoulders -- you get the information you need, and couldn’t get on your own, to help keep your children safe.
SafeSocial alerts parents when:

It finds words and phrases in posts that could mean your child is having an inappropriate discussion.
Anyone on your child's “friend” list seems suspicious or inappropriate based on age, online memberships, or unusual relationship patterns.
It finds photos posted by your child or photos of your child posted by other friends, so you can personally review them.

What is social networking?

You may not have heard the term "social networking", but you've probably heard of some of today's popular social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. Social networking sites are the way the 21st century communicates and are used by individuals to share their common interests or to start discussions on various topics. Social networking has become a primary activity in the life of many teenagers. It is a great way for them to stay in touch with existing friends, make new ones and confidently express their thoughts or feelings.

Of course, social networking has its dangers. To know more about social networking and how you can keep yourself and your child safe, check out our online help article Safety and social networking.

Why do I need AOL SafeSocial if I'm already friends with my child on Facebook?

"Friending" your kids only tells you part of the story -- and potentially causes more trouble than it's worth. For example, simply friending your child will not provide additional information about his/her friends, such as whether they are also active on websites meant for grownups (would a 14-year old have an account on LinkedIn or Match.com?).

SafeSocial also checks to see whether a friend has friends in common with your child, another smart way to catch outliers who may not be appropriate. Finally, the truth hurts: Many teens resent their parents friending them on sites like Facebook. Grownups may think it's cool to comment on their kids' wall or make funny comments about a photo, but sometimes we can unintentionally embarrass our kids, even when we mean well. SafeSocial lets you observe silently and step in when necessary.

What should I expect from ongoing SafeSocial monitoring?

SafeSocial will continue to watch your child’s social networking activity on connected accounts, as well as regularly scan for new accounts. Should any of your child’s accounts be disconnected (if they change their password, for example), you will be alerted and asked to send another invitation. You will also be alerted if a new account appears. For now we’re monitoring the three most popular social networking sites – Facebook, Twitter and MySpace – but if a new site gains momentum and becomes popular, we’ll add it to our list.

Our analytics are both broad and deep, but because they are so extensive, the results are not available moment to moment. However, you can be assured that the information you receive is timely. We've also prioritized what we check, focusing first on items that would be the most concerning. Status and Friend scans are run first, followed by Photo updates, all of which are done every day. Web searches for new accounts are done at least once a week.

How do I sign up for AOL SafeSocial?

Go to AOL SafeSocial and click Sign Up Now.

Why does my child have to agree to be monitored?

Most social networking sites are meant for kids who are at least 13 years of age. Teens can learn independence by exploring social networking on their own; SafeSocial lets parents observe, and step in when necessary. Our goal is not to enable parents “spy” on their kids. Rather, we believe that an open and honest dialogue between parents and their children about social networking will help kids understand the ground rules and learn appropriate online behavior, avoiding trouble before it begins.

Can I monitor my child if he or she doesn't agree?

No, your child must accept the connection and agree to be monitored. Prior to using SafeSocial, we recommend parents talk openly and honestly with their children about social networking, informing them about SafeSocial and your reasons for using it.

Many kids will appreciate that their parents can monitor them “silently” – without friending them – so their online friends will not be aware SafeSocial is in use. Parents may wish to explain that the goal of using SafeSocial is not to spy on their kids’ behavior, but rather to supervise their online activity and step in if dangerous or inappropriate activity occurs.

Why do I have to enter my credit card information for a free trial?

We require a valid method of payment to try SafeSocial. Though your credit card information will be collected when you sign up, you will NOT be charged until the free trial expires. To avoid being charged, you may cancel at any time during the free trial period. You will also receive an email reminder before the trial expires.

If during the free trial period you decide SafeSocial isn’t for you and your family, you can avoid the automatic charge by canceling SafeSocial before the free trial period has ended. You will also receive an email reminder before the trial expires.

How do I get started with SafeSocial?

SafeSocial’s initial account search is done as soon as you add a child. To unlock the friend, photo and activity analysis and alerts, your child must accept an invitation to connect his or her social network accounts to your SafeSocial membership. The process will go more quickly and smoothly if you inform your child in advance to expect the invitation, and to begin the ongoing conversation about safe online behavior.

Once the connection is made, SafeSocial will scan all your child’s friends, gather photo and status information over a 24-hour period, and flag any information that could be of concern. We recommend setting aside time to go through the initial information, both on your own and later with your child.

SafeSocial can be set up in just a few easy steps. For information on how to activate your account and get started, check out this short video.

How many social networks does your service cover?

We closely monitor your child’s activity on their connected accounts with the most popular social networks: Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace. We also regularly search dozens of other English-speaking social networking sites, and inform you of any accounts associated with your child's email address. Please note SafeSocial cannot monitor all social networking sites, as new ones are created and others deleted every day, but we regularly update the sites we scan to keep you as up-to-date as possible. Follow the link for more general information about active social networking sites.

How do you determine which friends are suspicious?

There are several ways in which we determine which friends may not be suitable for your child.

Alerts are sent if:

An adult tries to befriend your child
A friend of your child has no friends in common with his or her other friends
A friend of your child has been reported as a sexual offender

We conduct other investigative analysis as well, and any time there's an area of concern, we always notify you.

How do I find all of my child's email addresses?

The best way to know your child’s email addresses is to ask him or her directly. We encourage an open and honest dialogue between parents and kids who are active online. If you explain the benefits of SafeSocial, your children may be more forthcoming about sharing their account information so parents can accurately monitor their social networking activity. You may also wish to remind your kids that SafeSocial will not monitor their email or instant messaging and will not share their email password(s) with you.

How long does it take for the website to retrieve my child's information?

Typically, just minutes after they accept the invitation to be monitored.

Can SafeSocial monitor multiple email addresses for one child?

Yes we can! We limit SafeSocial accounts to four children, but each child can have several registered email accounts.

I know that my child has an account on a site. Why isn't AOL SafeSocial pulling it up?

SafeSocial gathers its information based on the details you provide, such as your child's name and email address. If you know your child has a particular account and it is not listed on SafeSocial within a week, make sure you have added the email address your child used to set up that account. (Edit under the child’s name in the left menu of your SafeSocial account page.)

Is there a way to find all of my child's accounts if I don't know all of his or her email addresses?

Unfortunately, no. SafeSocial maps a child’s email addresses to their social networking accounts, so you will need to know any email addresses they may be using.

How long does SafeSocial retain my child's information?

We keep the information until the child is deleted from the account.

How often do you scan for new accounts for my child?

We check the three major social networking sites – Facebook, Twitter and MySpace – every day. We scan other websites anywhere from weekly to every 90 days. The first time we search for a new email address that has never been searched before, we will scan a number of sites over a period of several hours to collect as much up-front information as possible.

How many accounts does SafeSocial monitor per social networking site?

As long as the correct email address associated with your child’s registered SafeSocial account is used on a social networking site, there’s no limit to how many accounts we can monitor.