The warning was supported by the Telstra Cyber Safety survey of 1001 young people aged 18 to 25 from around Australia, released earlier this week.

The survey found 52 per cent of respondents had regrets over things they had posted and 82 per cent did not realise the long-term impact of their posts.

However, when the results were broken down further, it found those living in regional areas had less of an understanding that the content put online could be damaging to their future.

Telstra Country Wide Area general manager Michael Patterson said today's culture of online sharing had changed the notion of privacy.

He said young people had to be equipped with the skills to deal with the digital world and parents had to play an active role in this.

"Many regional communities in particular are small so content that is posted by a young person that they may later regret can have long-term negative impacts," Mr Patterson said.

Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations president Jenny Eddington said they had worked closely with different levels of government organisations, as well as schools, in putting in place cyber safety measures, however, it was apparent it was almost impossible to keep up to date.

Mrs Eddington said the speed at which technology changed had left federal and state legislation in its wake. In some cases people may not be charged for what occurs online through social media, unless it turns physical.

It is recommended parents visit the Australian Communications and Media Authority for the latest information about cyber safety.