Saugus Police and the Youth Recreation Department collaborated last Thursday and Friday in holding an Internet Safety and Cyberbullying prevention presentations to fourth and fifth graders at Lynhurst Elementary School.

The presentations discussed the threats looming on social networking sites that children should look out for. Detective Sean Moynihan warned them about cyber space predators looking for vulnerable individuals that they can prey on.

As an example, Youth and Recreation Director Greg Nikolas shared the incident involving a 14-year old girl in Peabody who almost fell victim to an internet predator. The girl thought she had been corresponding with a boy near her age when it turns out that it was in fact a man in his late 20’s. The girl was already going to meet up with a friend of the man who was supposed to take her to Delaware but fortunately the officers got to her and reunited her with her family before she anything bad happened to her.

Moynihan also told the students not to giveout personal information to strangers on the Internet. He told them that ‘some people will tell them anything they want to hear — such as misrepresenting their age or having similar interests — when in reality they are much older and have foul thoughts on their mind.’

If they should come across something on the Internet that makes them feel scared or uncomfortable, Moynihan advised the students to notify their parents or a trusted adult.

He also added that no matter how much you think you know a person, it doesn’t matter if you’ve talked to them 200 or 2000 times, the fact remains that you do not know the person outside the context of talking to him or her real person off the internet.

Moynihan also showed a computed program starring two animated characters who shared tips about what to do to stay safe when accessing the internet.

The Speakers also covered cyberbullying and how youths sometimes use technology for the wrong reasons to harass others to which Moynihan gave Phoebe Prince, a South Headley teen who commited suicide from being cyberbullied by peers as an example.

In the end  Moynihan warned that “The Internet is a useful tool and a part of your lives; All we’re telling you is that when you’re on the Internet you need to be safe and responsible.”