Police Teach Kids to be Safe, Savvy Online

Third-graders at spent part of their afternoon Wednesday watching cartoons, but they weren’t wasting time or goofing off. The students were learning important lessons about protecting themselves online.

Romeoville Police Officer Mark Przybylski showed students several videos aimed at teaching them about the dangers of the Web.

The cartoons featured a character named Faux Paw, a not-so-Internet-savvy kitten who encountered both predators and bullies in her online adventures.

In one video, Faux Paw met a friend in a chat room who invited her to meet in person. But the online pal, who went by the name “Happy Fluffy Kitty Face,” turned out to be a big, mean dog.

Sound silly?

Maybe, but the programs showed kids how they should react to strangers online, as well as cyberbullies, in a format tailed to their age group.

“The police department actually came to us,” said Irene King Assistant Principal Jeremy Majeski. “The program is geared specifically to third-graders.”

, developed by D.A.R.E. America and the Internet Keep Safe Coalition, stresses Internet safety basics.

“When you’re playing online, someone might try to trick you,” Przybylski warned students. “In real life, it could be an adult trying to do bad things to kids … You never really know who you’re talking to.”

Students were urged to follow the motto, “Keep Safe, Keep Away, Keep Telling.” That means never giving out their real name, address, their school or a photo of themselves online.

“Be smart, be aware, be alert,” Przybylski said.

When it comes to handling online bullies, Przybylski urged the youngsters to refrain from responding, turn off the screen and tell an adult.

“If someone’s bullying you online, tell an adult right away,” he said.

“Don’t be part of the problem,” Przybylski added, reminding kids that it’s a crime to harass or scare someone online. “Don’t spread that stuff around.”

The adventures of Faux Paw were meant to be a lesson to students.

“We’re going to learn from her mistakes,” Przybylski told kids.

The program was also offered at Romeoville schools including , ,  and elementaries.