Focuses on Preventing Underage Drinking ST. LOUIS, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire/ -- It's no surprise that online social networking site MySpace attracts millions of users every day. But what may be surprising is that parents make up a significant percentage of that group. According to online monitoring source comScore Media Metrix, 16.6 million 35- to 54-year-olds with children visited MySpace last month. To capitalize on that audience, a new online resource, Positive Parenting Connection (http://www.myspace.com/positiveparenting), launches today on MySpace and offers parents helpful advice from authorities on how to help prevent underage drinking. Positive Parenting Connection is a community service sponsored by Anheuser-Busch and endorsed by The Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI), the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) and the National Fatherhood Initiative (NFI). The site includes materials, tips and links to expert-designed resources to help parents use their positive parent power to communicate with their children about making smart and responsible choices, including not drinking when underage. On that front, according to a new survey featured on the site and conducted on behalf of Anheuser-Busch by Harris Interactive(R), most parents with children aged 0-20 years do not think it's okay for parents to provide alcohol (82 percent) or purchase alcohol (85 percent) for their teens or others' teens at parties or gatherings. In addition, the survey shows most parents (79 percent) would not allow their older teens to attend a party where other teens are drinking, even if parents would be present. To guide parents on how to handle these kinds of situations, Positive Parenting Connection contains a series of vignettes in which a parent and teen work through three real-life scenarios about the challenges of underage drinking. Each video is reviewed by noted family therapist and authority on adolescent behavior Lonnie Carton, Ph.D. Carton is an advisory panel member of Family Talk About Drinking, a program that encourages open and honest conversations between parents and children about the topic, and director of teen and family resources for Warm2Kids.com. "Like many other moms out there, I'm constantly being told 'Everyone else's parents let them drink before they're 21,' when I know that's not the case," said Francine Katz, vice president of Communications and Consumer Affairs for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. "Having this new resource on MySpace is invaluable because it allows like-minded adults to connect and underscores that, as parents, we really do have the power to prevent underage drinking." And that power should be used sooner than some parents might think. Dr. Carton notes that prime time for parents to talk with their children about drinking is between ages 9 and 11, and then they must keep the lines of communication open throughout the teen years, and even when teens leave for college. She explains, "It's very important to talk with children early about the consequences of underage drinking because it prepares them with information about why drinking is not for their age group, and it helps prevent actions they might be asked to take by peers." "Empowering parents with useful information to help keep their children safe -- and especially in this exciting new way -- reflects our mission of improving communities and the welfare of children and families," said Sandi Kemmish, AJLI President. Positive Parenting Connection also features underage-drinking statistics, tips for hosting safe teen celebrations that don't include alcohol and information from Family Talk About Drinking and College Talk: Talking With Your College-Bound Student About Drinking. Fire Chief James Harmes, IAFC president, adds, "As first responders, we know that underage drinking can have serious consequences, so we appreciate the opportunity to share tips that parents can use to prevent this illegal behavior." "MySpace is an excellent way to reach so many parents," said Roland Warren, NFI president. "We are thrilled to partner with Anheuser-Busch in this initiative to help fathers -- and mothers -- have this important dialogue with their children." The site will be supported with targeted banner ads on MySpace that will direct users ages 35 to 54 to the page, and a link to the site will also appear on the AJLI, IAFC and NFI Web sites. Anheuser-Busch is the global industry leader in promoting responsibility. Since 1982, the company and its 600 wholesalers nationwide have invested more than $675 million in alcohol awareness and education programs and partnerships. In 2007, for the fourth year in a row, the company ranked first in the beverage industry for social responsibility in FORTUNE magazine's "America's Most Admired Companies" and "Global Most Admired Companies." More information about Anheuser-Busch's responsibility efforts is available at http://www.beeresponsible.com/. The Association of Junior Leagues International Inc. (AJLI) (http://www.ajli.org/) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women, and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. The International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) (http://www.iafc.org/) is a network of more than 12,000 chief fire and emergency officers. IAFC's mission is to provide leadership to career and volunteer chiefs, chief fire officers and managers of emergency service organizations. National Fatherhood Initiative's (http://www.fatherhood.org/) mission is to improve the well being of children by increasing the proportion of children growing up with involved, responsible, and committed fathers. Methodology This survey was conducted online within the U.S. by Harris Interactive(R) via its QuickQuerySM online omnibus service on behalf of Anheuser-Busch between May 7-9, 2007 among 3,104 U.S. adults aged 21 and over, of whom 921 were parents. The questions used in this survey were also used in a study conducted by Harris Interactive for the Wall Street Journal Online in May 2004. Figures for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education, region and household income were weighted where necessary to bring them into line with their actual proportions in the population. Propensity score weighting was also used to adjust for respondents' propensity to be online. With a pure probability sample of 3,104 one could say with a ninety-five percent probability that the overall results would have a sampling error of +/- 3 percentage points. Sampling error for data based on sub-samples would be higher and would vary. However, that does not take other sources of error into account. This online survey is not based on a probability sample and therefore no theoretical sampling error can be calculated. About Harris Interactive Harris Interactive is the 13th largest and fastest-growing market research firm in the world. The company provides innovative research, insights and strategic advice to help its clients make more confident decisions which lead to measurable and enduring improvements in performance. Harris Interactive is widely known for The Harris Poll, one of the longest running, independent opinion polls and for pioneering online market research methods. The company has built what it believes to be the world's largest panel of survey respondents, the Harris Poll Online. Harris Interactive serves clients worldwide through its United States, Europe and Asia offices, its wholly-owned subsidiaries Novatris in France and MediaTransfer AG in Germany, and through a global network of independent market research firms. More information about Harris Interactive may be obtained at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/. The Positive Parenting Survey press release is also listed in Harris Interactive's online news room at http://www.harrisinteractive.com/news/clientnews.asp. DATASOURCE: Anheuser-Busch CONTACT: Suzanne Sierra, +1-314-577-9860, , or Emily Ross, +1-314-577-7292, , both of Anheuser-Busch Cos. Web site: http://www.myspace.com/ http://www.beeresponsible.com/ http://www.harrisinteractive.com/ http://www.fatherhood.org/ http://www.iafc.org/ http://www.ajli.org/

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