Internet child exploitation sees 'drastic increase' in Yukon: RCMP

The number of internet child exploitation investigations in Yukon have increased by 160 per cent over the span of two years, according to the RCMP. 

Data from the police service said there were 39 such investigations carried out last year, compared to 30 investigations in 2019 and 15 in 2018. 

Constable Emmie Clements, Yukon RCMP's sole internet child exploitation investigator, said the issue has been present for several years but is becoming more pronounced because of easy access to technology and the internet.

"Anywhere you go, physically in town, you can have free wifi," she told CBC's Yukon Morning. "Kids younger and younger have access to cellphones or devices … so they can have access to so many things without parents actually being aware." 

The COVID-19 pandemic, she added, has made the situation worse. 

"Everyone is more at home, instead of actually socializing and going outside," she said. "When [young people] are bored, they tend to use their phone a bit more, they get enrolled in that behaviour and cycle of abuse online." 

Clements probes a range of crimes, such as child luring, child pornography, extortion and cyberbullying. In her role as a child exploitation investigator, she's also involved in educating people about the issue.

What parents can do

Clements is encouraging parents to wait longer to give their children a smart phone, and said that a flip phone is "more than enough" to make a call for help if that's what parents are worried about. 

"If you have to give your kid a smart phone, please monitor your kid's phone carefully. If not daily, at least weekly," she said.

She also suggested parents could sign a written contract with their child to establish how a cellphone is to be used. Some of the rules, she said, could be regular parental check ins, providing passwords to social media apps and protected folders, and relinquishing the device at night. 

"A lot of times …that's when the offence is taking place, after hours, when the parents are in bed, asleep," she said. "Make sure they know personally the people they are connecting with online, make sure they're not asking or being asked to send inappropriate images or videos." 

Clements also said that parents should have open and honest conversations with their children about dangers that exist online, even if it feels uncomfortable.

"I would try to start talking about that kind of issue, or those safety issues, as soon as they can hold a device … Not scaring them, but being realistic about the safety issues that are online right now." 

In an effort to combat what it calls a "drastic increase" in the number of internet child exploitation investigations, Yukon RCMP are encouraging parents of school-aged children to attend a webinar on Thursday. 

It's the second event being organized specifically for Yukon parents this week by The White Hatter, a B.C.-based company that specializes in internet safety education. Access to the webinar was provided by schools, said the RCMP.