NT RCMP: Everyone has a role in keeping kids safe online

February 9, 2021
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories

News release

On Safer Internet Day, the NT RCMP Internet Child Exploitation Unit (ICE) wants to bring awareness to residents to help make children's online world a safer place.

Investigators in the Northwest Territories continue to see an increase in child exploitation offences. From crimes committed by online adult predators to peer-related incidents involving sextortion, manipulation, relational online bullying and cyberbullying. Non-consensual distribution of intimate images of adults and teens is also on the increase.

It can be difficult to stay up to date with new technology and how to best protect your kids. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection (https://www.protectchildren.ca/en/) offers information about the ever-changing online interests of children, the potential risks they face, and proactive strategies to help keep your child/adolescent safe while online.

Online safety needs to start from the moment children begin using devices and have access to the internet. It needs to continue regularly as they get older and be spoken about often. Common tactics used online by adult predators and peers:

  • Flattery
  • Pity
  • Sharing Sexually Explicit Material
  • Persistence
  • Threats
  • Deception
  • Embarrassment
  • Exploiting insecurities

Speak to your children/teens to explain these different types of tactics they may encounter while online and/or interacting with others through apps and gaming systems. Help them identify examples when a situation has gone too far and requires a trusted adult's assistance.

Cpl. Sandi Nischk of the NT ICE unit adds, "Everyone has a role in keeping kids safe online. Kids' offline and online worlds are now interwoven. This is creating complex situations that many will face, and are becoming increasingly difficult for them to manage. It is extremely important to regularly remind your child/teen that it is never too late to reach out for help from a parent or another safe trusted adult."

Please visit https://www.protectchildren.ca/en/ for additional resources to learn more. Anyone with information on suspicious activity involving child exploitation is asked to call their local RCMP detachment or report it on Cybertip.ca. The NT ICE Unit encourages anybody interested in learning about important topics such as online child exploitation, cyberbullying and internet safety to visit Cybertip.ca and ProtectKidsOnline.ca.

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Contact information

Marie York-Condon
Media Relations Officer
Northwest Territories RCMP – Yellowknife, NT
RCMP.NTMedia-NTMedias.GRC@rcmp-grc.gc.ca

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