Honolulu police are expanding efforts to keep teens safe online and in person, and that's good news for students and parents dealing with a rise in digital dangers.

• School resource officers are visiting classrooms to warn teens about sextortion, where someone pressures a teen into sending explicit photos, then demands money or threatens to leak them.
• One case involved a teen boy who was targeted with a $500 demand after sending a photo; law enforcement stepped in before it went further.
• Officers are also covering AI-based scams and deception, talking to strangers online, and the legal risks of making threats or cyberbullying other students.
• The program is building trust between students and police, with kids now seeing officers as people who help rather than just enforce rules.
• Officers stress that online predators often target teens who are missing attention or affection at home, and they're urging parents to stay closely involved in their kids' lives as a first line of defense.

Outlook: The school resource officer program will keep expanding across more campuses as schools and police respond to recent bullying incidents and threats that triggered lockdowns.