While children are taught at an early age not to share information with strangers they encounter in public, many do not heed that message when they are online.

Westmont Junior High School students got a lesson in Internet safety last week from a prosecutor who handles cyber crimes for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s Office.

Sarah Migas, Internet safety specialist with the high-tech crimes bureau, said so many young people are putting themselves at risk of Internet crime by sharing personal information and even posting pictures of themselves online.

Migas spoke to the entire student body during an Oct. 29 assembly, where she stressed students who are frequently online should practice safe surfing by remembering whatever they type or upload is public for anyone to see.

“On the Internet, everything is public, and everything is permanent,” she said, “Even if something is deleted, someone could have copied it to their computer before you erase it.”

Migas said children need to realize they have to stop and think before posting information about themselves online, as they should not trust anyone they do not know.

“It’s just like stranger-danger, except this is much more broader, and the Internet is worldwide,” she said.

Linda Houle, media center director at Westmont Junior High School, said the school is bringing the issue up to the students after a new state law now requires Internet safety training classes for third-graders through high school seniors.

Classes also will be following up with information passed along during the assembly in their individual classrooms featuring extended Internet advisory information, discussion and other activities.

“The message we are trying to get across is to warn them about these Internet dangers,” Houle said. “Kids think they know it all, and if we can reach out to them, that they can go to their parents or administrators if they need go to someone for help.”

Often, Migas said students putting up photos on networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace can help predators identify them, since the pages can tell how old they are, where they live or go to school, and other information that online predators can use against them.

“It is just so important that kids think before sharing these kinds of things on the Internet,” Migas said. “There are many dangers out there.”

The school also is warning kids that cyber-bullying is now a crime in Illinois.

Children also need to understand that what they post now, especially for the older children, can impact them in the future, as colleges and employers can see what students are posting on the Web.

“It important to let them know their can be consequences to their activities on the Internet as well,” Houle said. ‘Now, and in the future.”