ONLINE predators have ramped up their activities, targeting children as they spend more time online, unsupervised, during COVID-19 lockdowns, Police say.
During 2020, the eSafety Commissioner's Cyber Report team received 21,000 public reports, the majority of which involved child sexual abuse material, a 90 per cent increase compared to 2019.
Police say that unwanted contact, grooming and child sexual abuse online was an ongoing and devastating issue - but especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
eSafety Commissioner, Julie Inman Grant, said they have seen big increases across all their reporting areas, and parents needed to be aware.
"We've all turned to the internet during this pandemic to help us continue to work, learn, communicate and be entertained but with all this extra time we are spending online, often unsupervised, the risk that something can go wrong increases too," Ms Grant said.
Child Abuse and Sex Crimes Squad Commander, Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty, said it was up to parents to make sure their children were aware of the dangers they face online.
"Sadly, we've seen an increase in predators targeting vulnerable children who are spending additional time at home and online, sometimes unsupervised," she said.
"The best tool to ensure your child's safety is you. Make sure they know they can tell you about anything that makes them uncomfortable and that any app, game or social media platform where they speak to other people can put them at risk."
Research commissioned by NSW Crime Stoppers has found many parents do not believe, or believe it's unlikely that their child is at risk of being contacted by a stranger online.
Nearly one in five parents surveyed, or 18 per cent, said their child had contact with someone on the internet whom they had not met face to face previously.
More than 16 per cent had been treated in a hurtful or nasty way by someone online and more than 11 per cent met someone face to face after meeting that person on the internet.
NSWPF Youth Sponsor, Assistant Commissioner Gelina Talbot acknowledged it had been another difficult year for children, families and communities dealing with COVID-19.
"Being isolated can leave many of our children more susceptible and vulnerable to victimisation," she said.
"Children are spending more time online and this can place them at a higher risk of being targeted by online predators; and some may also be subjected to domestic and family violence or feel vulnerable in terms of mental health.
"We all have a responsibility to ensure children and young people in the community are safe, protected and supported, and are able to succeed in life without fear of harm and exploitation."
Being more involved in their children's online lives could mean ensuring children use devices in open areas of the home, talking about the potential dangers online, and helping kids make good decisions, she said.
In response to rising levels of online crime against kids, and coinciding with National Child Protection Week, police have beefed up the Child Abuse and Sex Crime Squad with ten full-time police to bolster their work in the Child Exploitation Internet Unit. The squad is made up of detectives who are specially trained to investigate matters against children and adults, including sexual assault, serious physical abuse and extreme cases of neglect.
Assistant Commissioner Talbot said it was not a matter of not trusting your children, but about not trusting people they may interact with, and ensuring children feel like they can talk to you about if they make a mistake.
"We know children and young people may make mistakes and can be embarassed by being exploited when they've realised what's going on," she said. "We are asking parents to be supportive so young people can come forward and seek help if they are harmed or exploited. It's a matter of making parents aware of what can go wrong on online and for them to have those open and supportive conversations.
A classic example was for a child to end up chatting to someone online in a gaming environment - someone posing as another child. Once theyr'e engaged, they might encourage them to have "different conversations", she said, and then might take them to another platform.
"We are seeing a higher number of incidents compared to last year and what probably worries us as well is the number that is unreported. We live in a world where technology is one of our main forms of communicaton platforms that we use - who are they interacting with?"
How do I protect my children online?
- Protect your child's privacy: esafety.gov.au/parents/skills-advice/privacy-child
- Find reporting links for social media services, games and apps: esafety.gov.au/esafety-guide
- Protect your child from unwanted contact: esafety.gov.au/parents/big-issues/unwanted-contact
- Child sexual abuse material can be reported anonymously to the eSafety Commissioner at www.esafety.gov.au/reportillegalcontent
- If you know or suspect someone is producing, downloading, or sharing child sexual abuse material you can make a confidential report to Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or at www.nsw.crimestoppers.com.au
- If you have seen inappropriate behaviour towards child online, including online grooming and unwanted contact, please make a report to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) at www.accce.gov.au/report. There is no information too small or insignificant to report.
