JACKSON TWP — Online communication is rapidly changing with new social platforms and programs, and parents need to keep up with those changes to protect their children.

That was the message of FBI agent Gregg Frankhouser during a cyber security presentation Monday night at the Seneca Valley Intermediate High School.

Frankhouser, who spoke to nearly 100 parents, administrators and school board members, works on a task force that deals with violent crimes against children.

The FBI agent, who admitted he doesn’t have any social media presence online, warned parents that the more information their children put on the Internet, the more vulnerable they are to potential predators.

Frankhouser used cases from the Pittsburgh area in illustrating the fact that these crimes do happen here, and they happen more frequently than people think.

There have been an influx of cases involving children sending nude photographs to one another, only to have those pictures land in the wrong hands.

Once it’s online, Frankhouser said, it can be there forever.

“And the more you put out there, the more the bad guys can get,” he said.

Most people, and especially most children, he said, feel safe that their sensitive information is protected behind passwords and other safeguards.

However, that sense of security is misplaced because it’s becoming increasingly easy for hackers and child predators to gain access where they shouldn’t, he said.

Frankhouser admitted that he and his fellow task force members are a bit on the cautious side, but that’s because he’s seen what’s out there.

“We’re a paranoid bunch, but in a good way,” he said. “A little bit of paranoia can be a good thing.”

Frankhouser illustrated how sophisticated predators are.

He said the most recent trend involves people using disposable cell phones that are hard to trace. Predators use those phones to create fake social media accounts, and then use those accounts to prey on children.

The agent also said that 90 percent of high school-aged children either have sent, received, or know about the existence of nude photographs circulating in social circles.

Superintendent Tracy Vitale talked about how Seneca Valley strives every day to instill a sense of responsible use when it comes to students and their technology.

“We’re committed to promoting responsible digital citizenship,” she said.

Vitale said it’s crucially important to talk to children about their online activity, and added it’s just as important to talk to them at a young age.

“It’s important to talk about their Internet presence before they create one,” she said.

However, not every parent is just concerned with social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.

Jill Easterling said that her young son enjoys playing online computer games that have built-in chat functions that are different from normal chat sites.

“It makes it that much harder to monitor,” she said, adding that she plans on speaking to her son further about his online presence.

Debbie Bukowski agreed and said as hard as she tries, it’s impossible to monitor every aspect of her child’s online activity.

“He has the ability to chat and interface with anybody,” she said. “It’s very scary these days.”