RCMP asking parents to monitor kid’s online conversations after incident last Friday

Lac La Biche RCMP are asking parents to monitor children’s online messages and social media for any suspicious or inappropriate chats.

On Friday, RCMP were alerted about a 10-year-old girl who approached her mother about a concerning group chat over Instagram.

The conversation had a sexual nature to it and it made the 10-year-old uncomfortable enough to alert her mother about it.

Currently, it is believed that all members of the chat are children, but RCMP are reminding parents to be more diligent in keeping an eye on their children’s online conversations.

“RCMP would like to remind parents and children of the possible dangers involving social media and online chats, and ask that parents take the proper precautions to ensure their children’s safety,” said Roxanne Genereaux, Cpl.

Resources for parents and children

For parents who have found content like this on their children’s social media and are not sure what to do can contact cybertip.ca to gain information and report illegal web content involving the sexual exploitation of children.

Cybertip focuses on sex tourism, child prostitution, internet luring, and child abuse, and they aim to reduce the exploitation of children online.

Cybertip does not investigate crimes, but it helps law enforcement in their investigations and prosecutions against these crimes by being a resource centre for them. The reports Cybertip receives go to law enforcement for them to investigate.

According to their website, they get roughly 100,000 reports per month.

Children can call Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868, or go to there website at kidshelpphone.ca if counselling is needed. The counselling is completely private, and can be done over the phone or through text messages.