Queensland Police Service (QPS) is committed to protecting children, but it's crucial that families and communities learn to help minimise the growing threats posed by online predators, to help keep kids safe.
This Child Protection Week, the theme is 'Every Conversation Matters: Shifting Conversation to Action' and we're encouraging all parents, carers and guardians to use these tips to keep children safer online:
- Supervise internet use and don't leave any devices in bedrooms overnight
- Know the apps, games and devices that are being used and learn the functions and security settings to you can apply the appropriate parental controls
- Be aware of online games with chat functions. Anyone can chat with children while playing these games and predators do play them solely to make contact with children
- Monitor online activity closely. Depending on your child's age, know the passwords for devices and online accounts to ensure children are behaving safely and to identify risky behaviours before they escalate
- Talk regularly about online 'friends' and explain the risks of trusting someone they haven't met in real life
- Have open, judgement-free conversations with your children to ensure that they feel comfortable seeking help from a trusted adult no matter what happens, without fear of punishment.
Argos Detective Acting Inspector Cameron Burke said it's important for parents and caregivers to take an active ongoing role in their children's online safety.
"Supervision and communication are key in preventing unsafe situations from occurring," Detective Acting Inspector Burke said.
"We must have regular conversations with our children about online safety, including the dangers of communicating with strangers, how to report behaviour that makes them feel uncomfortable, and that they can always approach a trusted adult for support, even if a situation feels embarrassing."
Investigators continue to see children manipulated or blackmailed into sending explicit images of themselves, even in their own home. These situations are not rare and often happen without parents knowing.
"Children are also being manipulated into self-producing child exploitation material, with tactics such as flattery, gifts, threats, and emotional coercion being used to obtain explicit images, which can also then be used to blackmail the child for money or gift cards" Detective Acting Inspector Burke said.
"The trauma caused to a child in these cases is significant. By preventing children from having mobile phones and tablets in their bedrooms, especially after parents go to bed, parents can help protect their children from becoming a victim of image-based abuse or sextortion.
"We cannot underestimate the valuable contribution the community plays in helping us stop, solve and prevent child abuse-related crime, and we encourage anyone who has concerns to speak up on behalf of the child and report it to police.
To learn more, visit the eSafety Commissioner for resources to help start conversations about online safety, learn the steps children can take when they feel unsafe and to help make the right decisions about their digital footprint.
