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PRESS RELEASE
NEW RESEARCH REVEALS RISKY INTERNET
BEHAVIOR AMONG TEENS, BUT THERE ARE ENCOURAGING SIGNS OF IMPROVEMENT
WITH INCREASED INVOLVEMENT OF PARENTS AND GUARDIANS
Children’s
Advocate John Walsh, the National Center for Missing & Exploited
Children and Cox Communications Announce Results of Teen Internet
Survey
John Walsh to discuss research in satellite
media tour and Web cast today
ATLANTA, GA – May 10, 2007– New research by Cox Communications Inc., in partnership with the National
Center for Missing & Exploited
Children® (NCMEC) and TV host and children’s advocate John
Walsh reveals that more parents and guardians are talking to their children
about the potential dangers of the Internet. Still, many teens remain
unconcerned about the risks of sharing personal info online and nearly
two-thirds post photos or videos of themselves.
The findings are from the third annual survey Cox and NCMEC have fielded
to help parents and guardians understand the potential dangers of the
Internet. The 2007 survey was nearly identical to the questions asked
in 2006, revealing compelling year-over-year trends about teen Internet
use. Key findings:
Teens are increasingly active online and at potential risk of
falling prey to online predators.
- A large majority of teens (71%) have established online profiles
(including those on social networking sites such as MySpace, Friendster
and Xanga), up from 61% in 2006.
- 69% of teens regularly receive personal messages online from people
they don’t know and most of them don’t tell a trusted adult
about it.
- Teens readily post personal info online. 64% post photos or videos
of themselves, while more than half (58%) post info about where they
live. Females are far more likely than male teens to post personal
photos or videos of themselves (70% vs. 58%).
- Nearly one in 10 teens (8%) has posted his or her cell phone number
online.
- Overall, 19% of teens report they have been harassed or bullied online,
and the incidence of online harassment is higher (23%) among 16 and
17 year-olds. Girls are more likely to be harassed or bullied than
boys (21% vs. 17%).
Parents and guardians are becoming more involved in monitoring
their teens’ Internet use and talking to them about online safety.
- Parental awareness of their teens’ online activities has risen
significantly. This year, 25% of teens say their parents know “little” or “nothing” about
what they do online, down from 33% last year.
- 41% of teens report their
parents talk to them “a lot” about
Internet safety (up five points over 2006), and three out of four say
their parents have talked to them in the past year about the potential
dangers of posting personal info. The level of parental involvement
is higher for younger teens and girls, although it has increased across
all age groups and both genders.
- Teens whose parents have talked to
them “a lot” about
Internet safety are more concerned about the risks of sharing personal
info online than teens whose parents are less involved. For instance,
65% of those whose parents have not talked to them about online safety
post info about where they live, compared to 48% of teens with more
involved parents.
- Teens whose parents have talked to them “a lot” about
online safety are less likely to consider meeting face to face with
someone they met on the Internet (12% vs. 20%).
Many teens are unconcerned about the dangers of sharing personal
info online.
- A majority of teens (58%) don’t think posting photos or other
personal info on social networking sites is unsafe.
- Nearly half of teens (47%) aren’t worried about others using
their personal info in ways they don’t want (although that represents
a 10-percentage-point improvement over 2006).
- About half (49%) are unconcerned posting personal info online might
negatively affect their future.
Teens are showing some signs of making safer, smarter choices
online.
- While 16% of teens say they’ve considered meeting face-to-face
with someone they’ve talked to only online, that marks a significant
drop compared to the 30% of teens who were considering such a meeting
in 2006. In 2007, 8% of teens say they actually have met in person
with someone from the Internet, down from 14% in 2006.
- When they receive online messages from someone they don’t know,
60% of teens say they usually respond only to ask who the person is.
Compared to the 2006 survey, there was a 10-percentage-point increase
in teens ignoring such messages (57% vs. 47%). Still, nearly a third
of teens (31%) say they usually reply and chat with people they don’t
know, and only 21% tell a trusted adult when they receive such messages.
The national teen Internet survey was funded by Cox Communications in
partnership with NCMEC and John Walsh and was conducted in March 2007
among 1,070 teens age 13 to 17. The research was conducted online by
TRU.
Walsh, host of “America’s Most Wanted,” will discuss
the research and implications for families live in local broadcast television
and radio interviews today. He also will be available via Web cast 12:30 – 1:30
p.m. EDT today to answer viewers’ questions about Internet safety
and discuss the teen survey in greater detail. To view the Web cast,
go to http://www.visualwebcaster.com/event.asp?id=39334.
As a continuation of the research findings, Cox will partner with NCMEC,
Walsh and Miss America 2007 Lauren Nelson on the second annual Cox Communications
National Teen Summit on Internet Safety June 27 at the National Press
Club in Washington, D.C. Teen participants will discuss Internet safety
and ways parents, guardians and teen mentors can help children and young
adults be safer online, and will deliver the messages directly to Capitol
Hill in meetings with members of Congress. The Summit will air on Cox
Cable channels nationwide in late summer.
Complete survey results, online safety tools and tips, and links to
NCMEC and other resources are at www.cox.com/TakeCharge.
Cox’s Take Charge program was launched in conjunction with Walsh
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 NetSmartz.com, a collaboration between NCMEC and the
Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Cox has donated nearly $30 million
worth of advertising time to NetSmartz and NCMEC to encourage safer online
behavior among children.
About the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
(NCMEC)
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 475,000 leads. Since its establishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted
law enforcement with more than 130,300 missing child cases, resulting
in the recovery of more than 112,900 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.
About Cox Communications, Inc.
Cox Communications is a multi-service broadband communications and entertainment
company with more than 6 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, as well as integrated wireless
services in partnership with Sprint (NYSE: S). 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, www.coxbusiness.com,
and www.coxmedia.com.
CONTACT:
Cox
Communications:
Anthony Surratt, anthony.surratt@cox.com,
404-843-5124
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children:
Communications Department, media@ncmec.org,
703-837-6111
John Walsh:
Avery Mann, amann@amw.com, 240-482-1199
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