ELLSWORTH — It’s 10 p.m., do you know where your children have been on the Internet?

Chances are you don’t have a clue.

To that end, a national expert on Internet safety gave a presentation to parents at Ellsworth High School May 14 to teach them safety and navigation tips.

Jayne Hitchcock, president of a Web-based organization to halt online abuse, advised parents to be aware of what their children are doing online — what information they’re posting and with whom they’re communicating.

“It’s just amazing what people put online and they don’t think twice about it,” said Hitchcock of This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . “What you do online can affect you the rest of your life.”

Hitchcock said a Maine teenager recently put photos of marijuana plants he was cultivating in his bedroom closet on his MySpace page. Eventually, law enforcement officers saw the Internet photos and arrested the boy.

In preparing for her visit to Ellsworth, which included a presentation to students earlier in the day, Hitchcock searched for Ellsworth High School students on Facebook and MySpace, two of the most popular social networking sites.

On MySpace, she found photos of Ellsworth students displaying the middle finger, drinking alcohol and holding guns.

Facebook was another story.

These were “great photos,” Hitchcock said, adding that she saw shots of school plays and other events.

While most students kept their personal information private, Hitchcock still found cell phone numbers, home phone numbers and home addresses on the sites.

“Six boys and one girl listed where they work,” Hitchcock said.

Using a Web disguise, Hitchcock approached 60 Ellsworth students during recent months over the Internet, sending them a message to be their friend. Of the 60 students who were approached, 59 approved her as a friend, which means she has access to all the personal information on their social networking sites. Only three asked her who she was, but two of the three still approved her anyway.

Communication is key.

Hitchcock said if children run into trouble on the Internet, whether with a stranger or a classmate, they need to have someone they can talk to, if not a parent, then a teacher, relative or adult friend.

Parents need to be understanding if something happens to their child online and not “freak out” and threaten to take away Internet forever, Hitchcock said.

Just a few people raised their hands when Hitchcock asked if they had a social networking page like Facebook.

Getting children to help parents online is one way to foster communication.

Hitchcock urged parents to set up their own social networking page and ask children for their help in setting up the page.

Also, ask your children for help searching for a subject or an item online, she said.

Hitchcock also discussed what to do if children are being bullied online.

Have the child send one e-mail telling the bully to leave him alone and send a copy of the e-mail and any of the harassing e-mails to the bully’s Internet service provider.

Hitchcock said do not respond to any further messages from the bully but save them for the Internet service provider.

Hitchcock spoke to Ellsworth students earlier in the day about safety.

April Clifford, technology director for Ellsworth Schools, told parents that these safety issues would be addressed in a digital citizenship class she is planning for the upcoming school year.

“Teaching kids responsibility online is a priority,” Clifford said. “This is a responsibility I take very seriously.”

Hitchcock got involved with Internet safety promotion after being the victim of a cyber stalker. She is the author of eight books, including “Net Crimes and Misdemeanors: Outmaneuvering Web Spammers, Stalkers, and Con Artists.

For more information, go to www.haltabusektd.org or www.haltabuse.org.  

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