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Reading time: about 7 minutes │ Topic: Online predators, grooming, human trafficking, child sexual exploitation │ Sources: Public Safety Canada, RCMP, Cybertip.ca, Kaspersky
Why this matters
Why this matters
Online predators use the internet to find, befriend, and gain control over children and teens. The Government of Canada describes this as online child sexual exploitation (OCSE), and at its most serious, it can lead to human trafficking, where children and youth are coerced into sexual exploitation or forced labour. [1] [2]
Public Safety Canada and Cybertip.ca report a 45% increase in reports of online child exploitation in just one year (2022–2023). [1] [4] The risk is real, but it is also preventable. Predators rely on kids not knowing what grooming looks like. Once you can recognize the warning signs, their tactics stop working.
Predators are not always strangers, and they don’t always look like “bad guys.” They can be someone the child knows, or a stranger who pretends to be a kid the same age. They build trust slowly, over weeks or months, most often on social media, gaming platforms, and messaging apps. [1] [3] [5]
How online predators target children
How online predators target children
Public Safety Canada and Kaspersky describe the main tactics that online predators use to reach and groom children: [1] [5]
Grooming: A predator builds a relationship with a child or teen online to gain access to and control over them. It can be a stranger or someone the child knows, and very often it is an adult pretending to be someone younger. Over time, the child may be pressured to send sexual content or to meet in person. [1]
Gaming platforms: Online games, especially those with voice chat and private messaging, are one of the most common places predators meet children. They may offer free in-game items, gift cards, or game currency, or pretend to be a fellow young player to start the friendship.[5]
Social media and messaging apps: Predators use Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, Discord, WhatsApp, and similar apps to send friend or follow requests and direct messages. They often start with compliments, attention, and emotional support to build trust quickly. [1] [5]
Pretending to be a peer: Many predators pose as kids or teens of the same age, sometimes using stolen photos, fake screenshots, or AI-generated faces. The “friend” who feels exactly your age may not be a kid at all. [1]
Capping: Predators sometimes secretly take screenshots or video recordings of children during video calls and then use those recordings to blackmail them or share them online. Capping is often the first step toward sextortion. [1]
Warning Signs
Warning Signs
Public Safety Canada lists these warning signs that a child or teen may be being targeted or groomed by an online predator: [1]
WARNING SIGNSAn online "friend" who wants you to keep your conversations secret from your parents, teachers, or other friends.
Receiving gifts (game currency, gift cards, money, prizes) from someone you only know online.
Being asked personal questions about your body, your underwear, or your sexual experiences.
Being asked to turn on your webcam, send selfies, or send a sexual photo or video.
An "online friend" who wants you to switch to a different app, especially one where messages disappear.
Pressure to do things online that make you uncomfortable, or being made to feel guilty when you say no.
New sexual words or phrases, gifts, or contacts that the adults in your life don't know about.
Withdrawing from family or friends, mood changes, stomach aches, headaches, or trouble sleeping that started after spending time online.
A Real Example
A Real Example
Public Safety Canada describes a common Canadian pattern: a child or teen meets a “friend” on a gaming platform or social media app. The “friend” says they are the same age and seems to really understand the kid’s problems at home or school. After a few weeks of friendly chats, the “friend” asks the child to switch to a private messaging app where the messages will disappear. [1]
The conversation slowly turns sexual. The “friend” might send a picture first to make the kid feel safe, then ask the kid for a picture in return. Once the kid sends one, the “friend” uses it to threaten and pressure them, demanding more pictures, money, or that the kid meet in person. This is grooming followed by sextortion, and it is one of the most common paths from online contact to real-world harm, including human trafficking. [1] [2]
Related online dangers
Related online dangers
Public Safety Canada, the RCMP, and Kaspersky describe several online dangers that often appear together with online predators: [1] [3] [5]
Sextortion: a type of blackmail where someone uses your sexual images or videos to threaten you into sending more content, paying money, or meeting other demands. Sextortion almost always begins as sexting, capping, or grooming. [1]
Cyberbullying: when someone is mean to you online, or tries to threaten, hurt, or embarrass you. Predators sometimes also bully kids to isolate them from friends and family. [3] [4]
Inappropriate or harmful content: predators may send violent, sexual, or disturbing content to “normalize” sexual conversations or to make a kid feel less able to say no. [5]
Sharing personal information: predators slowly collect details (school, daily routine, neighbourhood, family names) as part of grooming, and that information is exactly what is used to commit in-person crimes against children, including human trafficking. [5] [2]
Gaming scams and toxic behaviour: online games can expose kids to grooming, scams, hate speech, and toxic chat. Voice chat and private messaging in games make this risk much higher. [5]
What To Do
What To Do
Public Safety Canada, the RCMP, and Kaspersky recommend these steps: [1] [3] [5]
Never share personal information online (your real name, age, school, home address, phone, parents' names, or daily routine) with anyone you only know online. [5] [8]
Keep your social media and gaming accounts private, and only accept friend or follow requests from people you actually know in real life. [5] [8]
Its OK to make friends online. It is NOT OK for them, or anyone, to make you uncomfortable by asking about sex, asking for pictures, or asking you to keep your chats secret from your parents. [1]
Never send sexual pictures or videos of yourself to anyone, even someone you trust. Once an image leaves your phone, you cannot control where it goes. [1]
Never agree to meet in person with someone you only know online without a trusted adult knowing. If a person you only know online wants to meet you, that is a warning sign. [1]
Save the messages and screenshots. Do not delete them. They help police and Cybertip.ca find the person who is doing this. [1]
Tell a trusted adult and report it: a parent, guardian, teacher, coach, or counsellor. Report online sexual exploitation at Cybertip.ca and call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 (or text 686868). You will not get in trouble for asking for help. [1] [6]
The Golden Rule (Public Safety Canada)
The Golden Rule (Public Safety Canada)
“I may not always agree with your choices, but I will always care about your safety. You can talk to me if you experience something upsetting or scary online. You’ll never get in trouble for asking for help.” — Message from Public Safety Canada for parents and caregivers to share with their kids.
References
[1] Public Safety Canada (Government of Canada), Online Dangers Infographic. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/campaigns/online-child-sexual-exploitation/online-dangers-infographic.htmlhttps://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/dont-take-bait-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-attacks
[2] Public Safety Canada, Online Child Sexual Exploitation. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/campaigns/online-child-sexual-exploitation.htmlhttps://www.getcybersafe.gc.ca/en/blogs/phishing-whats-fraudsters-tacklebox
[3] RCMP, Bullying and cyberbullying. https://rcmp.ca/en/youth/bullying-and-cyberbullyinghttps://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2026/03/government-of-canada-launches-consultations-on-first-ever-national-anti-fraud-strategy.html
[4] Cybertip.ca (Canadian Centre for Child Protection), Reports From the Public Processed in 2023. https://cybertip.ca/en/about/reports-from-public-processed-2023/https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/secure-your-accounts-and-devices-multi-factor-authentication-itsap30030
[5] Kaspersky, Top seven dangers children face online. https://www.kaspersky.com/resource-center/threats/top-seven-dangers-children-face-onlinehttps://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/best-practices-passphrases-and-passwords-itsap30032
[6] Public Safety Canada, A Discussion Guide for Parents and Caregivers on Online Child Sexual Exploitation. https://www.canada.ca/en/public-safety-canada/campaigns/online-child-sexual-exploitation/a-discussion-guide-for-parents-and-caregivers.htmlhttps://antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca
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