The Ad Council Partners With The U.S. Department Of Justice And

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The Ad Council partners with the U.S. Department of Justiceand National Center for Missing & Exploited Children to Prevent Online Sexual Exploitation


New PSA Campaign Educates Teenage Girls About Potential Dangers of Sharing and Posting Personal Information Online

The Ad Council together with The U.S. Department of Justiceand National Center for Missing & Exploited Children NCMECtoday announced a new phase of their Online SexualExploitation public service advertising PSA campaign designedto educate teenage girls about the potential dangers of posting and sharing personal information online.

Popular social networking sites such as MySpace, Facebook, andSconex make it easier for teens to post and share personalinformation, pictures and videos, which may make them morevulnerable to online predators. Teenage girls are particularlyat risk of online sexual exploitation a recent study byUniversity of New Hampshire researchers for NCMEC found thatof the approximately one in seven youth who received a sexualsolicitation or approach over the Internet, 70 percent were girls.

The Internet is one of the greatest technological advances ofour time, but it also makes it alarmingly easy for sexualpredators to find and contact children, stated AttorneyGeneral Gonzales. As Attorney General and as a father, I amcommitted to protecting our children from pedophiles who trollthe Internet for kids. The Think Before You Post campaignsends a strong reminder to children and their parents to becautious when posting personal information online becauseanything you post, anyone can see: family, friends and even not so friendly people.

Another study conducted by Cox Communications shows that 61percent of 13 to 17 year olds have a personal profile on sitessuch as MySpace, Friendster, or Xanga. In addition, the studyfound that half of these have posted pictures of themselvesonline and that one out of five teens reported that it is safei.e. somewhat or very safe to share personal information on apublic blog or networking site. Thirty seven percent of 13 to17 year olds said theyre not very concerned or not at allconcerned about someone using personal information theyve posted online in ways they havent approved.

We are very pleased to join with the U.S. Department ofJustice and the Ad Council on the third year of our campaignentitled Think Before You Post, said Ernie Allen, presidentand CEO of NCMEC. This PSA campaign is targeted to reachteenage girls and deliver the vital message of not postingidentity revealing information or photos of themselves online that could put them at risk for abduction or exploitation.

In another study conducted by the University of New HampshiresCrimes Against Children Research Center for NCMEC, of youthages 10 to 17 who use the Internet regularly, 34 percent hadposted their real names, telephone numbers or home address, and 45 percent had posted their real ages.

The PSA campaign, created pro bono by Merkley & Partners,includes TV, radio, magazine and Web advertising. The adsencourage girls to "think before you post" personalinformation that would leave them vulnerable to onlinepredators. The PSAs seek to educate teens that the Internet isnot a private place, rather its a public place and socialnetworking profiles and blogs potentially release informationthat can be easily found by anyone, including ill intentionedpeople. All of the PSAs direct audiences towww.cybertipline.com to get tips to help prevent online sexual exploitation or to report an incident.

Previous work created for the campaign has focused onincreasing awareness of parents and guardians about theprevalence of online sexual exploitation and on preventinggirls from forming inappropriate online relationships withadult men in an effort to reduce their risk of sexual exploitation and abduction.

The new PSAs will be distributed to television and radiostations nationwide this week and can be viewed on the Ad Councils Web site at www.adcouncil.org.

The popularity, easy accessibility and social acceptance ofthe Internet, particularly social networking sites, amongteenagers can put them in a dangerous situation, said PeggyConlon, President and CEO of the Ad Council. Its our hope thatthis campaign will educate teenage girls and their parentsabout the potential dangers of offering personal information on the Internet.

We are very pleased with our continuous partnership with theAd Council, the National Center for Missing & ExploitedChildren and the U.S. Department of Justice, said Andy Hirsch,Executive Creative Director/Partner at Merkley & Partners.Online sexual exploitation is front page news and we're happythat we can continue to lend our services to help educate teens and their families about this potential danger.

Since launching in 2004, the Online Sexual Exploitationcampaign has garnered over $150 million in donated mediasupport and NCMEC has seen an increase in reports of onlineenticement of children for sexual acts. Tracking studiesconducted by the Ad Council found that parents and guardianswho saw the PSAs were significantly more likely than those whohad not to have talked to their children within that past weekabout chatting online with people who they hadnt met in person 44 percent vs. 35 percent.

The U.S. Department of Justices Project Safe Childhoodinitiative is a joint effort of federal, state and local lawenforcement, along with community leaders, designed to protectchildren from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S.Attorneys Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal,state and local resources to better locate, apprehend andprosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet,as well as identify and rescue victims. For more informationabout Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a501c3 nonprofit organization that works in cooperation withthe U.S. Department of Justices Office of Juvenile Justice andDelinquency Prevention. NCMECs congressionally mandatedCyberTipline, a reporting mechanism for child sexualexploitation, has handled more than 419,400 leads. Since itsestablishment in 1984, NCMEC has assisted law enforcement withmore than 125,200 missing child cases, resulting in therecovery of more than 107,600 children. For more informationabout NCMEC, call its toll free, 24 hour hotline at 1-800-THE-LOST or visit its web site at www.missingkids.com.

The Ad Council is a private, non profit organization with arich history of marshalling volunteer talent from theadvertising and media industries to deliver critical messagesto the American public. Having produced literally thousands ofPSA campaigns addressing the most pressing social issues ofthe day, the Ad Council has effected, and continues to effect,tremendous positive change by raising awareness, inspiringaction and saving lives. To learn more about the Ad Council and its campaigns, visit www.adcouncil.org.

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