Charles A. Huston Middle School student Lily Liotta knew the basics of staying safe on the internet.

But a visit from Google representatives to her school in Lower Burrell expanded her knowledge.

“It’s really important stuff that’s useful for teens and tweens to know,” Lily said after the roughly half-hour assembly. “The internet isn’t all good, but there is good. We learned how to use the internet to our advantage in a good way.”

Huston, which serves sixth through eighth grade students in the Burrell School District, was the second stop of Google’s Online Safety Roadshow Tour in Pennsylvania. The tour visited West Hills Intermediate School near Kittanning and two schools in Philadelphia last week. No other southwestern Pennsylvania stops are scheduled.

Nearly half of U.S. teens report having been bullied online, according to 2022 data from the Pew Research Center.

In addition, a survey of almost 4,000 children found that 43% of kids ages 8 to 13 are talking to people they’ve never met in real life. Of those encounters, the study found more than half revealed their phone number to a stranger, according to the website Savvy Cyber Kids.

Even more disturbing, the survey found, is that 11% went as far as meeting a stranger in their own home, the stranger’s home, a park or a mall.

Google’s interactive roadshow teaches a variety of skills, including how to create a safe password, how to avoid talking to strangers, how to prioritize digital well-being and how to avoid scams.

“We’re not here to teach you how to use (the internet), but we are here to teach you how to navigate it,” said Google representative Janette Martinez.

Tips to be “internet awesome” are to be mindful with what you share on the internet, not to fall for fake information or scams, use strong passwords and “use your power (on the internet) for good,” Martinez and co-presenter Justin Daniel said.

“I learned how to use the internet safely,” said sixth grader Sarah Scheftic. “I think it was really fun how (Martinez and Daniel) were interacting with us.”

One thing she learned from the presentation was that passwords should be eight or more characters long and include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers and symbols.

Winton Steward, Google’s public policy lead for Pennsylvania, said part of staying safe online also includes communicating with trusted adults and reporting inappropriate behavior.

While the Burrell presentation was geared toward middle school students, internet safety is something everyone should be aware of, Steward said.

“We believe the internet can be a great place for kids, but at the same time, it should be educational, safe, and we hope to bring that to light.”

Steward said Google worked with Sen. Joe Pittman, R-Indiana, to coordinate the event at Burrell. Jonathan Longwill, district director for Pittman, said the presentation was impressive.

“As a parent, we can tell our students to be internet safe, but to have a group like Google come in, (it can hold more weight),” Longwill said.

Huston Middle School Principal Travis Welch said there is a need for teaching students how to be safe on the internet. He referenced a Digital Citizenship class at Huston that is required for all students. He said the middle school-age demographic often is targeted by scammers.

“The Digital Citizenship course teaches them about apps (like Google Docs) — how do you use them online and really just how to be a functioning citizen in the online world,” Welch said.

With teenagers spending a lot of time on social media, Lily Liotta said, it’s important for them to be aware of the dangers and how to protect their “digital footprint” — the information about someone that exists on the internet because of their activity online.

“It’s important to know that your digital footprint stays with you your entire life,” she said. “You have to be cautious and be mindful.”

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