Online Safety

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Welcome!

Exploitation and trafficking typically begins online.

Charlene Gebauer Online Child Safety Expert

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does it take for a Predator gets around to asking for a picture?

Online interactions could rapidly escalate by offenders asking for sexual images or discussing meetings after less than 10 minutes of online interaction. This suggests that even a short period of unsupervised Internet use by children could pose a risk of victimization.
Source: kid-online-safety-myths/

Are Online games for kids safe?

‘Children are vulnerable no matter the environment, even educational games. In fact”, Charlene Doak-Gebauer Online expert, says, “predators know that the children on educational games are often more sheltered than those on other applications, so they’re easier prey. Too often, parents believe their hardware and software filters are preventing predators,” Doak-Gebauer says, adding that “it’s a false sense of security; often, these games allow the players to communicate on the games through chats and even web cameras.”

How do Online predators operate?

Adult predators looking to groom children online often visit social media websites that are popular with young people and will pretend to be their age. The adult may try to secure their trust with fake profile pictures, by pretending to share similar interests, by offering gifts to the child or by complimenting the child.
Source: Child Criminal Safety Center Home

How would I know if has my child has been approached online?

Here are a few red flags that MIGHT indicate your child has been approached online by someone wanting something sexual from them. Don’t assume that if your child is doing some or all of these that they are being exploited, but instead, sit down and have a calm, non-accusatory conversations with them, and Please seek professional help if you feel this is an issue for you and your loved one. There are many resources on this page for you to check out professional help.

spending an increasing amount of time online
becoming secretive about their online conduct
switching screens or closing tabs or windows whenever a parent is close
using sexual language they would not be expected to know
becoming emotionally volatile
Source Child Crime Prevention & Safety Center Home

I know the person my child is chatting with, so that is safe, right?

We know that 90% of children who are sexually abused, know their abuser, so if this rule is true for physical sexual abuse, just because your child is chatting with someone they know or that you know, does not mean they will not be explotated by that person.
Never assume anything, always ensure you are double checking who your child is talking to and what information they are giving that person, whether you know them or not.

Are there any stats to prove my child could be targeted

What we do know:
Luring a child accounted for the large majority (77%) of online sexual offences against children, According to statistics from Royal Mounted Police. We can never say your child ‘Would’ be trafficked or exploited in any way. However, it is better to be proactive, as it is easier to prevent than to rescue our children. And the damage done after is horrific and can’t ever be forgotten.
Here is a graph showing the growth of online exploitation growth and this is from a few years ago. We will update when we get a more current stat, but Covid has made the statics much higher. AND remember, these stats are extremely low because these are only ‘REPORTED” numbers. Many do not report it. My daughter was trafficked for over three months, and we never reported it. Learn more at my monthly workshop.

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