The Internet has made a lot of things easier.  Information is exchanged with a few quick keystrokes -- maps, the hottest Destiny's Child hit, advance trailers from the latest "Star Wars" prequel.  For students, it has helped make research a snap.  As youngsters are using the 'net to find more, some people are using it with bad intentions.  They're using it to find kids.

While the Internet has done much to simplify our lives, there is also a dark side.

Rolling Hills Middle School recently held a parent information session to help keep parents informed about their kids.  Internet Sacramento Sheriff's Department Special Agent Rusty Davis headed up the talk.

Davis, a member of the Sacramento Valley Hi-Tech Crimes Task Force, stressed the ease with which pedophiles can track children online.  Pedophiles are of above average intelligence, according to the FBI, and Davis said they will take the time to get to kids -- they develop a relationship online, gaining kids' trust.  And after awhile, kids see them as a friend.  Davis said it's important for kids to realize, just because they talk to people online that doesn't make them a friend.

"If you've never met them, they're not a friend," said Davis.

Davis shared some real horror stories about kids who were left vulnerable by the Internet and by pedophiles who have used computers to find their prey.

He said parents have a huge responsibility to be mindful of what is happening when their kids are plopped in front of the computer.

If parents are not watchful of their kids' Internet usage, Davis likens it to "dropping your child off in Downtown Sacramento, putting them in an alley and letting them play."

As part of his presentation, Davis logged onto America Online as SaraSc13, disguising himself as a 13-year-old girl to show how easy it is for kids to be found and targeted.

Chat rooms are a hotbed of activity for users to chat with other people online about shared interests.  Chat rooms of all types exist -- from the innocent CA Dog Lovers to the more raunchy sex related topics.  Users can create their own chat rooms -- like one parents said, kids could create a Rolling Hills Room for their friends.  Sounds harmless, but there's no way to guarantee the Rolling Hills room wouldn't get unwanted visitors.

The chat rooms are wide open to members, so a 13-year-old playing around could really go into any type of room.  In his demonstration, a 36-year-old man was interested in talking with the fictional Sara, even after he found out that she was only 13.

It was a wake-up call for some of the parents, who didn't realize how easy it is for their children to become targets.  All of the parents got a little chuckle when Davis wrote to the sleazy 36-year-old, "I'm a cop," and gave him the number for the Sacramento Sheriff's Department.

Parents were surprised to find out that their kids don't have to be in chat rooms to be found.  America Online allows its members to set up profiles, where users can state their age, location and interests.  So even though your child might not be in a chat room, someone can do a search for kids of a certain age in a certain location and their screen name will pop up -- like SaraSC13's.  The person would then be able to instant message Sara -- sending a direct message to her without her ever having clicked into a chat room.

"That's how a predator can find them," said Davis of member profiles.  "If the information isn't filled out, they can't find them."

Parental controls are offered by America Online, which can prevent kids from going into chat rooms as well as placing other restrictions on children's usage.  Davis strongly encouraged parents to check them out.

Myspace.com is another site that has been causing some problems among younger school kids.  It is a site aimed for users who are 18 and older but the screening process is loose enough that kids can lie about their ages and skate through.  The site allows users to basically create and maintain their own Website -- they post pictures and information about themselves.

Davis said that the site is popular for kids because kids enjoy talking about themselves so they want to put a lot of information out there.  Unfortunately, that's how the bad guys find them, he said.

The site also has groups, kind of like chat rooms, where members can join and talk with people with like interests.  Not a lot of dog lover groups on this site -- one group was called The Make-Out Club with a picture of two girls kissing.

"That's what we're up against," said Davis to the room of squirming parents.

Davis said the worst scenario is to have a computer with Internet access in the child's bedroom.  Having that access allows kids to surf unsupervised -- they can close the door and shut out parents.  Davis said the best parents can do is to stay involved.  As a parent himself, he would stay in the room with his daughter as she worked online, looking over her shoulder and asking questions about what she was up to.

"As a parent, you're the first line of defense," said Davis.