Cox Communication and the National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children ( NCMEC) conducted their 5th National Teen Summit on online safety issues on June 15th in Washington , D.C.. The initiative gathered teens from across the country to discuss issues on Internet Safety like cyberbulling, sexting and the potential long-term impact of social media posts on the teen’s digital reputation.

For the first time , Cox streamed the Teen Summit live over the Internet which encouraged online participants such as child advocates and mother bloggers to listen to the discussion by logging on to http://www.ustream.tv/channel/coxteensummit or by joining the dialogue on Twitter using the hash tag #cox4teensafety . “ America’s Most Wanted” host and children’s advocate John Walsh led the discussion at the event and was joined by guest panellist and well-known social media expert James Andrews. In conjunction with the Summit , Cox and NCMEC  released the results of their annual survey during the event that showcased the key changes and trends in the online behaviour of teens over the past five years. The last survey paid particular interest to teen’s comprehension of the potential long-term consequences of social media communications for their digital reputation. The outcome of the pilot survey was that more than 80 percent of the teens believe that what they post online can affect their personal reputation. Inspite this , teens engage themselves in risky behaviour online. For instance , 50 percent of those surveyed said that they have posted a fake age online and 38 percent share their social networks with people who are unknown to them.

This initiative of The National Teen Summit on online safety issues is a natural extension of Cox Communication’s  ‘ Take Charge !’ initiative which helps not only the kids and teens but also their parents and guardians to make smarter media decisions. Cox provides guidelines to parents and guardians on how to manage what their children see and don’t see on the television and the internet. These guidelines include instructions and information on setting parental controls as well as tips for more constructive conversations between parents and their children.

As a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility , Cox has donated more than $30 million for advertising to encourage safer online behaviour among kids and teenagers !.