READING — With her headphones on, Marlie Carey played a game on the computer.
A cartoon monkey asked Carey, 9, which would be better to use as a password, her name or her favorite color? She clicks on favorite color.
“Not your name,’’ she whispered.
Next the monkey asked her what she should do if she received a spam e-mail, open it or delete it? She quickly clicked “delete it.’’
Beside Carey, Nick Mazzarella, 11, played a different game. He clicked on the futuristic-looking glasses, and as they zoomed in, the screen turned red. The phrase “Type in your name and address to win a free prize’’ transformed into “I want your private information to scam you, not to give you a prize.’’
“It’s spyglasses, see?’’ he pointed at the screen. “It tells you what they really mean.’’
The program the students were using at J. Warren Killam Elementary School in Reading, called Safe Online Surfing, was created by the FBI in 2005. It aims to teach children about protecting their personal information, being safe on gaming websites and social media, and more.
Safe Online Surfing has certainly paid off. Killam students know their stuff.
With an average test score of 93.3 percent, Killam’s approximately 160 third- and fifth-graders took first place in the month of January, topping 34 other Massachusetts schools and about 1,800 schools nationwide.
It became the first school in Massachusetts to win first place in the 100+ students category.
In honor of that achievement, two FBI agents from the Boston Division, assistant special agent in charge Christine O’Neill and supervisory special agent Kate Kelley, visited Killam last month to award a certificate and answer questions from the students about cybersafety and being FBI agents.
Kim Adamo, the school library’s media specialist, oversees the students as they use the program but doesn’t have to intervene much.
“It’s self-guided, which is what they like,’’ Adamo said.
“It’s our belief that if you start teaching Internet safety, even in kindergarten, they really understand. I like to say, ‘I don’t teach computers; I teach appropriate use of computers.’ ’’
Mazzarella has learned.
“Don’t trust e-mails with a link from someone you don’t know,’’ he warned.
“Don’t talk to people if you don’t know them,’’ fellow fifth-grader Lauren Cormier said.
“I learned a lot about copyright and plagiarism,’’ fifth-grader Lucas Scozzari said. “It’s very bad. You could have to pay $7.3 billion.’’
The program includes multiple videos and games for kids to explore, and after learning about being safe online, they take a test at the end of the month.
“This is open nationwide to all schools, public and private, and you got the highest score,’’ O’Neill told the group when the FBI visited. “That is fantastic.’’
Students were then able to ask the agents questions.
“What is your favorite thing you do as an FBI agent?’’ Scozzari asked.
“This,’’ Kelley replied. “Going to schools and speaking to children . . .
“And putting bad guys in jail,’’ she added, eliciting a giggle from the audience.
Third-grader Cameron Sinclair asked, “How do you know when a bad guy is on the Internet?’’
“You don’t always know,’’ O’Neill said. “It’s not always clear. That’s why programs like this are important.’’
Especially for children who attend schools that do not offer the program or something similar, O’Neill suggests that parents be more involved with online safety.
“Know what your kids are doing,’’ she said. “Kids are very trusting, and there’s vulnerability. Don’t let them be alone on the Internet without knowing what they’re doing.’’
For those interested in using SOS, the program can be accessed on the FBI website: sos.fbi.gov. Christina Bagni can be reached at christina.bagni @globe.com.
