Newport News Student Rasheda Webb Serves as Cox Virginia Delegate at Cox Internet Safety Summit in Wash. D.C.

Webb is 2010 Youth of the Year for Boys & Girls Clubs of the VA Peninsula

2010 Teen Summit Celebrated its Fifth Anniversary

News provided by

Jun 16, 2010, 10:17 ET

CHESAPEAKE, Va., June 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Cox Communications, in partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC), brought teens together from across the country to discuss the behavior of young people online at the National Teen Summit on Internet Safety in Washington, D.C. on June 15. TV host and children's advocate John Walsh moderated the event and provided insights on how teens can stay safe in a world increasingly reliant on the Internet and wireless devices.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20100616/PH21911 )

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100616/PH2191 )

Rasheda Webb, 18, a graduating senior at Denbigh High School in Newport News, was one of a handful of students from across the nation who participated in the conversation about teens' online safety concerns such as cyberbullying, sexting and digital reputation management. Webb is the 2010 Youth of the Year for the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Virginia Peninsula. She earned this distinction through her dedication to mentoring youth, having logged over 130 volunteer hours in one year, and her eagerness to take on new challenges responsibilities. She will be attending Thomas Nelson Community College in the fall to study computer and information systems management.

Cox Senior Vice President and General Manager Gary McCollum said, "In light of recent news stories, it is important now more than ever to talk with youth about what they are doing online and how these behaviors will affect them in the future. Cox is proud to have such a forum for open dialogue in hopes that young people and their parents will be more cognizant about Internet and wireless safety."

Cox marked the Summit's fifth anniversary by streaming the event live over the Internet.

In addition to the teens and Walsh, internationally-recognized social media expert James Andrews provided insights on teen online behavior. Andrews is a CNN contributor and is a founding partner of Everywhere, a social media marketing and content development firm in Atlanta, GA.

Following the Summit, the teens met with members of Congress to share original research on teens' online behavior conducted by TRU. Key findings from the survey include:

More than 80 percent of those surveyed said they believe what they post online could impact their personal reputation.
However, 77 percent said they often post information online that is not true just to get people's attention, including 50 percent who said they had posted a fake age online.
32 percent thought that posting personal information could have a negative effect on their future -- up from 25 percent in 2007.
Yet, 62 percent never check with a parent before the post a photo online and 67 percent never check with a parent before they post a comment or status update

Full results from the survey are now available at www.cox.com. For more information, contact Felicia Blow at 757-222-8432 or [email protected].

About Cox Communications:

Cox Communications is a broadband communications and entertainment company, providing advanced digital video, Internet, telephone and wireless services over its own nationwide IP network. The third-largest U.S. cable TV company, Cox serves more than 6 million residences and businesses. Cox Business is a facilities-based provider of voice, video and data solutions for commercial customers, and Cox Media is a full-service provider of national and local cable spot and new media advertising. Cox is known for its pioneering efforts in cable telephone and commercial services, industry-leading customer care and its outstanding workplaces. For seven years, Cox has been recognized as the top operator for women by Women in Cable Telecommunications; for five years, Cox has ranked among DiversityInc's Top 50 Companies for Diversity, and the company holds a perfect score in the Human Rights Campaign's Corporate Equality Index. More information about Cox Communications, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cox Enterprises, is available at www.cox.com and 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's' use of the TV, Internet and wireless devices -- 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 or via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/Cox_Comm.

About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC):

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 2,475,300 calls. It has assisted law enforcement in the recovery of more than 151,300 children. The organization's CyberTipline has handled more than 894,700 reports of child sexual exploitation and its Child Victim Identification Program has reviewed and analyzed more than 34,566,000 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.

About the Survey:

The survey was conducted online within the United States by TRU on behalf of Cox Communications between May 14 and 24, 2010 among 1,032 U.S. teens ages 13-17. (The report does not mention theoretical sampling error.)

SOURCE Cox Communications