Students at Gravenhurst High School (GHS) received a rude awakening last Tuesday when Sergeant Robyn MacEachern of the Youth Issues Crime Unit, Ontario Provincial Police detachment in Orillia, gave a presentation about Internet safety. She also talked to parents of GHS students that evening.

So who has a Facebook account? Well, when the students at GHS were asked that same question, practically the whole cafeteria raised their hands.

There are countless online accounts that teens are using, the most popular being Facebook, MySpace and MSN. On these websites, teens can talk and stay updated with friends, post information as well as unlimited photos on their profiles. What many of the students didn’t know, however, is that even though they may think it is safe and secure, their personal information is accessible to anyone.

“There is no such thing as privacy online,” said MacEachern.

Along with her speech, MacEachern showed several videos of real-life stories of teens just like them, who have experienced traumatic events through the online world. MacEachern spoke about the dangers of using online accounts, such as sharing passwords. She explained that even sharing it with your best friend can be destructive, as it can get into the wrong hands.

Students were shocked when they learned how easy it is for hackers to get their passwords, as well as the answer to their security questions. MacEachern described that having a computer remember a password as “a recipe for disaster.”

Jaws dropped when students were told of a search that found over 7,000 registered sex offenders on MySpace. Those 7,000 are the ones who used their first names and there are still thousands more out there. The ones not found are “the smart ones,” as MacEachern called them, who change their identity.

MacEachern explained that giving out too much information on profiles, such as an address or the school you attend, can be priceless information to predators. Many of them are online for as much as 18 hours a day, so it is not such a big deal to them “to drive two hours away to get what they are looking for,” she explained.

MacEachern also advised that when not using your webcam to “always unplug it, turn it around and turn off your computer.” Teachers and students were in awe when they learned that there are ways that webcams can be accessed and turned on by strangers.

She warned that more and more employers are asking for e-mail addresses to look at a potential employee’s profile online. What youths post now may hurt them in the future and it is hard to get anything back once it’s on the Internet.

These days, it seems that many teens are more experienced with the Internet than their parents are.

“You are the experts,” said MacEachern.

Many parents have heard of the sites that their kids go to, but don’t know much more than that.

She explained how only 92 per cent of incidents online are reported and if your child does come to you with a problem or you feel the Internet is not safe, MacEachern said that “turning off the Internet is not the solution.” Instead, talking to them about it, teaching them how to be safe and reporting the problem are the right steps.

For information visit www.cybertip.ca, which MacEachern described as the “911 for the Internet.” It is a website dedicated to the safety of children and works to catch online predators.