Online Activity and the Law

If you suspect your child is being targeted online, there are steps you can take. Keep communication open, look for changes in their behaviour, and be ready to step in and support them.

1 in 3 youth have experienced cyberbulling in the past year.

Signs to watch for:

• Spending more or less time online than usual
• Becoming more secretive about what they’re doing online
• Seeming more upset, angry, or withdrawn
• Trouble sleeping or eating
• Avoiding school, activities, or socializing
• In serious cases, signs of self-harm or suicidal thoughts

What you can do:

• Talk to your child and listen without judgment
• Reassure and support them
• Learn more about what’s been happening
• Remind them not to respond to the bullying
• Help them block the person and cut contact
• Save evidence of the bullying
• Report it to their school, the platform, or the police if needed
• Visit NeedHelpNow.ca if sexual images are involved
• Seek out mental health support if your child needs it

If your child may be involved in bullying someone else online, it’s important to address the behaviour calmly, but seriously. Help them understand why it’s harmful and work together toward making things right.

9 in 10 youth and parents are not aware of any helplines or support for cyberbulling being available.  

Things to look for:

Steps to take:

Grooming, the manipulative process that is used to gain the trust of a child by preying on their natural curiosity and vulnerability.

Someone trying to groom a child might:

• Flatter them
• Send them gifts (this includes online gift cards, in game purchases or currency like Robux or V-Bucks)
• Share or ask for revealing images, blackmail them, discuss inappropriate subjects, ask them to keep secrets
• Ask to meet face-to-face

What can you do?

• Talk to your child about healthy relationships. Have an open-door policy so they will not seek answers or inappropriate relationships online. 
• Know your child's online friends. Ask questions about the people on their friends list, such as “How did you meet?” and “What do you talk about?”
• Teach your child the warning signs. Talk to them about grooming and ways people may try to manipulate them.
• Report to police if you suspect your child is having inappropriate conversations or relationships online.
• Report to the app or website where the conversations occurred.

Creating, sharing and sending inappropriate or intimate images happens instantly—but the impact can last much longer. Whether it’s a funny clip, a private moment, or a personal photo, once something is shared, it’s often out of the original person's control. Kids and teens may not always see the bigger picture, and open, honest conversations can help them navigate the pressure to share, forward, or react to content in the moment.

What can you do?

• Use these topics as an opportunity to check in and teach:
  
  
  • Think Before You Share
    Taking, sending, or forwarding a sexual image—whether it's of someone else or yourself—can have serious and lasting consequences.
    
    
  • Respect Consent and Privacy
    If you forward a sexual image of someone else without their consent, you're violating their trust and potentially exposing them to harm or ridicule. It’s not your decision to make about who gets to see their body. Forwarding such images is not only disrespectful—it can be illegal.
    
    
  • Protect Your Digital Self
    Never take or share an image of yourself that you wouldn’t be comfortable showing to your classmates, teachers, family members, or future employers. Once an image is out there, you lose control over who sees it and where it goes.
    
    
  • Don’t Give in to Pressure
    If someone is pressuring you to send a sexual image, recognize that as a red flag. You have the right to say no, and you should speak with a trusted adult. Anyone who truly respects you will respect your boundaries.
    
    
  • Before You Hit Send…
    Take a moment. Once an image is sent, it can be copied, saved, and shared without your knowledge or consent. Something shared with a boyfriend, girlfriend, or close friend can easily be passed along to others—and once it’s out there, you can’t take it back.
    
    

Read more about "Talking to Your Teen About Dealing with Online Predators."

Sextortion is a form of blackmail. Someone may threaten to send a sexual image or video of your child to others unless your child sends more, pays money, or follows their demands.

Flags for Parents and Caregivers with Your Child:

• Sudden change in behaviour or how they dress
  
  
• Interest in privacy, like minimizing screens or using their devices alone
• 
  New Friends or friend groups

What can you do?

• Do not comply with the demands
  
  
• Do not delete the account, you may be deleting important evidence.
  
  
• Save the evidence by taking a picture/video with another device. Write down the Username of the individual making the demands.
  
  
• Report it!
  • To the app
  • To local law enforcement
  • to Cybertip.ca
    
    
• If your child has shared intimate images, you can find help removing them at NeedHelpNow.ca. See more helpful tools in the Resources for Caregivers section below.