February 6th, 2024 is Safer Internet Day and the Northwest Territories Internet Child Exploitation Unit has some tips and resources to share.
Ten Safety Tips for Caregivers
- Know all passwords
- Monitor online activity by using an app
- Sign a family contract to establish ground rules for the privilege of using a device
- No devices in the bedroom or bathroom
- Teach the difference between real life friends and online "friends"
- Talk openly about the expectations and risks of engaging with others online
- Think before you click/post
- Charge devices in common areas
- If games don't have parental controls, kids can't play
- Do a weekly device check
Online Grooming
Grooming is when someone acts like your friend, girlfriend, or boyfriend to try and make you do things like talk about sex or send videos or images of yourself with you clothes on. Sometimes, grooming takes place over a long period of time, over multiple conversations – and it can put you in a harmful situation.
How online grooming works:
- An adult or another youth approaches a youth online
- They build a friendly relationship with the youth, possibly giving gifts or compliments
- Talk eventually turns towards the youth's body or sex
- They may ask the youth for sexual images or videos, or to meet in person
- They may threaten or put pressure on the youth
Where online grooming happens:
- Social media apps
- Dating apps
- Online communities
- Text messages or online chats
- Online games where users message or talk to each other
- Livestreaming apps
How can youth protect themselves?
- Educate youth that there are people out there who will try to take advantage of them online so they can make smart and safe choices
- Make sure youth know how to update their privacy settings on every social media and website to keep their private information private
- Youth should always be skeptical of friends they make online, and know not to treat online friends the same way they'd treat their real ones – like accepting gifts, sharing personal information, or arranging to meet up
- Youth need to know that their feelings matter. If they are uncomfortable, following their gut is more important than being polite. It is always okay to say no when something feels weird or wrong.
- You should know that they can always turn to a safe adult if something is wrong, or report it to the police or Cybertip.ca
- Grooming is never the victim's fault. The adult in a grooming situation is always the one to blame.
Sextortion
Sextortion is blackmail. It is when someone threatens to send a sexual image or video of you to other people if you don't provide them more sexual content.
Financial Sextortion is a form of blackmail that involves someone online threatening to send a sexual image or video of you to other people if you do not pay them.
Sending nude photos or videos of yourself may seem harmless, but they can cause harm and end up hurting you if they end up in the wrong hands. This material may:
- Make you a target of people who will force or pressure you into sexual situations;
- Damage your mental health and self esteem;
- Negatively impact your future education, career and other opportunities
- Impact the way people see or act around you, and how you see the world
What you need to know:
Predators navigate the same online platforms and social media sites as kids – and are connecting with them over their phones, computers, or gaming devices.
- Live streaming can be easily recorded – don't be fooled by thinking it's live and there "no big deal." The same risks exist for live streaming as sending photos or videos.
- Unless you know the other person offline, there is no way to verify who is on the other end.
- Pre-recorded video can be live streamed. For example, an adult could stream a video of a teenage girl, so you may think you are talking to a teenage girl in real-time when that's not actually true.
- Trust your instincts, be skeptical and cautious. For example, if the person you are chatting with on cam has an excuse as to why their camera isn't working then that person may be trying to hide their identity.
- Never comply with the threat – it will only make the situation worse.
The best way to fight sextortion is to prevent it. Don't send nudes!
Help – I'm being sextorted
If you or someone you know is being sextorted:
- Immediately stop all communication and take screenshots of the conversation and the profile
- Do not comply with the threat
- Report the threat to the social media platform
- Reach out for help to a trusted adult
- Keep the correspondence
If you are being sextorted there are options for help and support, you are not alone - contact your local police detachment, report it though Cybertip.ca, get help removing pictures from the internet at needhelpnow.ca
Educational Resources:
- Cybertip.ca
- Needhelpnow.ca
- Canadian Centre for Child Protection - Protectchildren.ca
- ALERT: Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams – alert-ab.ca/public-knowledge/sextortion/