The top line: Australians are being urged to limit who they share content with online after a new report warned predators were sending parents requests to facilitate child sexual exploitation (CSE).
The bigger picture: The report from the Australian Institute of Criminology examined how prevalent online requests for facilitated CSE are.
It found 2.8 per cent of the more than 4,000 survey respondents — parents sharing photos and details of their children’s lives online — in the last 12 months had received at least one of these four requests:
- Asked questions of a sexual nature about children they knew
- Offered payment for sexual images of children they knew
- Asked for sexual images of children they knew
- Pressured for sexual images of children they knew
The key quote: “No parent would ever hand a photo album of their children to a stranger and the same care should apply to photos posted online.” — Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus
What else to know: Anyone who receives a request to facilitate child sexual exploitation should immediately report it to the police. Resources are available at .
What happens now: The federal government is reviewing the Online Safety Act to see how it can be strengthened to protect Australians from social media harms and ensure the digital media industry acts in the best interests of children.
Readers seeking support can contact Lifeline crisis support on 13 11 14, Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 and Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 (for young people aged 5 to 25). More information is available at and .
Anyone seeking information or support relating to child sexual abuse can contact Bravehearts on 1800 272 831 or Blue Knot on 1300 657 380.
Source Agencies
