Police warn of online predators this school holidays
australianherald.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from australianherald.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
AFP issues warning to keep kids safe online this Christmas
dailyexaminer.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailyexaminer.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Premium Content
Subscriber only
POLICE have warned parents and carers they need to be up with the latest technology gifted to their children this Christmas to help keep them safe online.
The Australian Federal Police is urging parents and carers to educate themselves about technology connected to the internet as it means children can communicate with strangers.
It comes as research reveals offenders are typically more active during school holidays and will try to groom children or obtain online child sexual exploitation material.
As of December 20, the AFP has charged 187 people with 1,966 alleged child abuse-related offences this year.
Reports of online child sexual exploitation have spiked in 2020, with perpetrators taking advantage of COVID-19 lockdowns to access and share horrific content, as well as to target children and young people who were spending an increasing amount of time online.
2020-12-23 05:35:52 GMT2020-12-23 13:35:52(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
SYDNEY, Dec. 23 (Xinhua) Parents and carers in Australia need to pay more attention to their children s online activity this holiday season as reports of online child sexual exploitation had spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Wednesday.
Child sex offenders are particularly active during the pandemic and school holidays, targeting children spending increasing amount of time online, with data released by AFP showing 187 people charged with 1,966 alleged child abuse-related offences this year.
With more technology gifts for children equipped with online functions, children can communicate with strangers, without the knowledge of parents, which could make them exposed to online criminals preying on children.