WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 13, 2006--In observance of National Internet Safety Month, high school students and their parents and guardians from Cox Communications communities will travel to Washington, D.C., for a Teen Summit addressing the ways that teens use the Internet. Through the summit and meetings between participants and their elected representatives, the program will explore issues including teens' use of popular social networking sites, as well as ways to help improve communication between parents and guardians and their children to encourage safer use of the Internet.

To be held at the National Press Club on June 21 at 8:30 a.m., the Teen Summit is the latest initiative of Cox Communication's Take Charge! Smart Choices for your Cox Digital Home!, a program designed to help parents, guardians and kids make smart media decisions. Cox Communications and the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) began working together in 2004 to help educate families on how to be safer online. Recently Cox, in partnership with NCMEC, conducted research that revealed the risky behavior some teens engage in over the Internet. For instance, 14% of teens surveyed said they have met face-to-face with someone they'd first met online, while one-third said they were considering such an encounter. However, the survey also indicated a direct correlation between parents' and guardians' involvement in their children's Internet use and safer surfing among teens.

John Walsh, Take Charge! spokesperson, children's advocate and host of "America's Most Wanted" (FOX) will moderate the Teen Summit, which will be aired later this summer on Cox Communications' local cable channels. At 10:00 a.m., following the Summit, Walsh and the teens will participate in a briefing about Internet safety. They will then go to Capitol Hill, where the students will meet with elected officials from their respective states to discuss the positive and negative aspects of Internet use from a teen perspective.

During and after the Summit and Capitol Hill meetings, the teens will blog about their experience at Cox's web log, www.DigitalStraightTalk.com. When they return home, they will be charged with helping to educate their classmates, parents/guardians and communities about making smarter choices on the Internet.

A major component of Take Charge! is NetSmartz®, an interactive, educational online safety resource from NCMEC and Boys & Girls Clubs of America for children aged 5 to 17, parents, guardians, educators, and law enforcement. NetSmartz' Manager of Outreach, Staca Urie will participate in the Summit.

"It is vital that parents and guardians are able to communicate with their children about their Internet use," said Urie, "The Summit is an opportunity to hear directly from teens about ways that messages of Internet safety can have the most impact."

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

NCMEC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. NCMEC's congressionally mandated CyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexual exploitation, has handled more than 387,800 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement with more than 119, 800 missing child cases, resulting in the recovery of more than 102,200 children. For more information about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.

Acerca de Cox Communications (www.cox.com/espanol)

Cox Communications, a Fortune 500 company, is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with more than 5.9 million total residential and commercial customers. Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network. Cox Business Services is a full-service, facilities-based provider of communications solutions for commercial customers, providing high-speed Internet, voice and long-distance services, as well as data and video transport services for small to large-sized businesses. Cox Media offers national and local cable advertising in traditional spot and new media formats, along with promotional opportunities and production services. More information about the services of Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com/espanol, www.coxbusiness.com y www.coxmedia.com.

Contact:
Cox Communications
Stephanie Davis, 404-843-7872
Stephanie.Davis2@Cox.com
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David Grabert, 404-269-7054
David.Grabert@Cox.com
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National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Communications Department, 703-837-6111
media@ncmec.org