LOS ANGELES, March 6 (Xinhua) -- Amid mounting public criticism for online security negligence, MySpace announced a series of measures on Thursday to educate users and the parents on Internet safety.

    The Los Angeles-based social networking company said the program will include public service announcements, partnerships with nonprofit organizations and a new website linked to the MySpace site to promote online safety.

    Pedophiles have been using MySpace to contact children in a number of cases that have led to child abuses and at least one suicide. Because of this, the website has been under attack for for not doing enough to safeguard online security or to stop " cyberbullying".

    "MySpace is stepping-up our safety education efforts," said the company’s chief security officer, Hemanshu Nigam. "We believe that parents are the first line of defense when it comes to protecting teens in the offline and online worlds, and they should have as many educational resources as possible to safeguard their families."

    As part of the program MySpace joined with iKeepSafe to releasea broadcast PSA (Parent-Student Association) to encourage parents to talk with teens about their Internet use and help them to make smart decisions on how to stay safe online.

    The "Don't Stop the Dialogue" PSA includes 10-, 15- and 30-second video spots and was unveiled during a keynote address by Hemanshu Nigam at the California Cyber Safe Summit in Burbank, outside Los Angeles.

    The PSA will air over the next two months on Fox broadcast and cable networks and was produced by BIG FUEL.

    MySpace has also teamed up with iKeepSafe to develop an interactive flash tutorial designed to help parents understand the Internet, social networking and the way the MySpace site works. The tutorial covers topics such as how to set-up a MySpace profile, searching and blogging. The tutorial will run on www.iKeepSafe.org and www.MySpace.com and will be distributed through a variety of educational mediums.

    "Through this partnership and the development of these tools, we are able to provide millions of parents, educators and teens with the necessary resources to create a healthy dialogue around Internet safety," said Marsali Hancock, president of IKeepSafe. "Education about online safety is critical to keeping our teens safe across the Internet."

    MySpace has also partnered with Enough is Enough to develop " Internet Safety 101: Empowering Parents," a program designed to reach parents through several different channels including, websites, partner programs, media campaigns, Internet safety seminars, training programs and multimedia resources.

    In addition, as part of ongoing efforts to keep MySpace.com updated with current Internet safety information, MySpace has updated and revamped its site to provide all audiences with safety resources.

    Accessible from the "Safety Tips" link at the bottom of every MySpace page or at www.myspace.com/safety, the site was developed to help parents, educators, and teens learn about safe online behavior. The safety site's content is tailored for each audience to help them navigate online communities safely through practical and easy-to-use safety tips, software, expert resources, guides, and how-to videos.

    MySpace integrates web profiles, blogs, instant messaging, e-mail, music streaming, music videos, photo galleries, classified listings, events, groups, college communities and member forums to create an on-line connected community.

    It is currently the most popular social networking website on the Internet.