Cyberbullying, sexting, sexual predators and digital reputation were just a few of the many topics that Australian cyber expert Susan McLean covered.

McLean gave a presentation to parents on social media and cyber safety for youth on Feb. 2 at Eastside Catholic School.

McLean stressed that as a parent in the 21st century, it’s important to know what’s online, as things are very different today as they were when parents were growing up.

“Growing up, you could be protected. Your parents could basically protect you from whatever they want … you can’t do that anymore because of the internet,” McLean said.

The internet is arguably one of the best inventions of the modern era, but it’s unforgiving. Kids are able to use it as a tool to learn and play. On the flip side, McLean said, “They can engage in illegal behavior themselves and become the victims … we don’t want our kids committing crimes and we certainly don’t want them becoming the victim of other people’s behaviors.”

“Cyberspace is a public space, it is by definition a public document … what you put online stays online,” she noted.

Before, all that colleges and jobs had to use before accepting or hiring people were their references and applications. Now, digital reputation and social media presence are a large part of what they look at.

“You can academically be the best kid, have the best attendance, the best references, but unless you’re up to speed online …,” she said.

McLean explained to parents that they all have a digital footprint, but their children will have a massive one. She has seen students at age 5 with a digital footprint because their parents had posted every waking moment of their child’s life online.

Cyberbullying is the repeated action of threatening and harassing using the internet. Although commonly seen and heard about in schools, “It often happens at home. By virtue of technology, people follow you into your house, the one place a child should feel safe,” McLean said.

Statistically, around 50 percent of kids in America have been cyberbullied, 30-40 percent in Australia and 10,000 people each week in the United Kingdom.

“We can’t have this number of people negatively impacted by this behavior,” she said.

The fastest-growing crime in the world right now is the online sexual predation of children. Also known as online grooming, it is when an adult has a sexual interest in a child.

“In the real world, the predator has to get past the parent to get to the child. Online, you are out of the equation. It is direct from predator to child … and they are very good at what they do.”

McLean said that parents should limit contact with people whom their child don’t know. Sexual predation is a crime of opportunity, and parents have to remove that opportunity.

Kids have a common perception that pedophiles “look all creepy and scary, but they don’t. They look just like everyone else … they suck the kid in so well that the child says, ‘Sure, I’ll come and meet you.’ We can’t underestimate the power that these people can have over our children,” McLean said.

Her top tips that she gave to parents are to get devices out of bedrooms, have a set of clear rules and know their children’s passwords in case of an emergency, without stalking them.

“Communication is key. It’s the key to all areas of parenting, not just online … know where your child is online, just as you would in the real world — that is parenting in the 21st century.”