ATLANTA -Cox Communications, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) and TV host and children's advocate John Walsh are presenting original research on the behavior of young people online. Together, the organizations are working to help parents and guardians understand the potential dangers of the Internet and how they can help keep their kids safer online. This year, the study and discussion extends to the "tween" population, children between the ages of eight and twelve years-old. Today, the organizations released a fraction of the research findings, some of which was encouraging:

• Seventy-three percent of tweens report that Mom and Dad have talked to them "a lot" about Internet safety
• Ninety-six percent of tweens tell Mom and Dad about at least some of what they do online; seventy-nine percent tell parents everything.
• Of tweens who tell someone when they receive online messages from unknown senders, the vast majority reach out to Mom (ninety-one percent)
• Ninety percent of tweens are online by age nine.

"It's really great to see that so many parents are making it a priority to talk to their children about their use of the Internet," said John Walsh. "However, the research also tells us that there's a drop-off in the likelihood of young people to continue to speak openly with their parents and guardians about their Internet use as they mature. This is of particular concern since tweens often communicate with anonymous contacts with whom they interact while online. The tween summit in Washington, DC on July 22nd will be a great opportunity for me and Lauren Nelson to discuss this important issue with all of the participants - and the media," he said.

Complete findings from the Cox Tween Internet Safety Survey will be made available at a press briefing on July 22nd, when Cox, NCMEC, Walsh, host of "America's Most Wanted," and Lauren Nelson, Miss America 2007, convene for the third annual Cox Communications National Summit on Internet Safety:

WHAT: Cox Communications National Summit on Internet Safety
WHEN: Tuesday, July 22, 2008,
 

• Tween Summit at 9:00 a.m.
• Press Conference at 10:45 a.m.

WHERE: National Press Club, 529 14th St., NW, Washington, D.C. 20045

At the summit, Walsh and Nelson will lead tween and teen participants in a discussion of Internet safety and ways parents, guardians and teen mentors can help children be safer online. Full results from the research and the discussion at the summit will be presented immediately following the Summit, and the tweens will deliver the news directly to Capitol Hill in meetings with members of Congress on July 23rd.

Walsh and Nelson will also be available on July 23rd to answer questions about Internet safety and discuss the tween survey in greater detail in local broadcast television and radio interviews between 11:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. EDT, and via Web cast between 1:00 and 1:30 p.m. EDT. To view the Web cast, go to http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=49596®d=n

About Cox Communications:

Cox Communications is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment company with 6.2 million total residential and commercial customers. The third-largest cable television company in the United States, Cox offers an array of advanced digital video, high-speed Internet and telephony services over its own nationwide IP network. Cox Business 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. Cox Communications wholly owns and operates the Travel Channel. 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.

About Cox's Take Charge Initiative:

Cox's Take Charge! program was launched in 2004 to educate parents and guardians about the importance of Internet safety and to help families get the most out of mass media in the home. It provides scores of resources to help parents and guardians manage what their children see, and don't see, on TV and the Internet -- from instructions on setting parental controls, to a guide to the lingo teens use online, to tips for more constructive conversations between parents and kids. Teaching young children and teens how to stay safer online is a major element of the Take Charge program, thanks in part to Cox's partnership with the NetSmartz® Workshop, NCMEC's Internet safety resource available at www.NetSmartz.org. Cox has donated more than $30 million worth of advertising time to NetSmartz and NCMEC to encourage safer online behavior among children. More information on Take Charge! is available at www.Cox.com/TakeCharge.

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Since it was established by Congress in 1984, the organization has operated the toll-free 24-hour national missing children's hotline which has handled more than 2.2 million calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 126,000 children. The organization's CyberTipline has handled more than 594,000 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification program has analyzed 14,437,865 child pornography images and videos. The organization works in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. To learn more about NCMEC, call its toll-free, 24-hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.

Media Contacts:
David Grabert
Director, Media Relations
404.269.7054
David.Grabert@Cox.com

Amy Burton
Weber Shandwick Worldwide
404.266.7557 (w)
404.909.9318 (c)
ABurton@webershandwick.com

NCMEC Communications
703.837.6111
media@ncmec.org