Posted:
Parents: Help Better Protect Your Teen Online
Halifax Regional Police is Making Sure that Parents and Teachers Have Access to Important Resources on Safer Internet Day
In response to emerging online risks and recent tragedies involving young people in Canada it has become even more important to work together to reduce the incidence of adolescent sexual exploitation. This is why on February 11, International Safer Internet Day, Halifax Regional Police is letting the citizens of Halifax know about the comprehensive Internet safety resources and tools available through the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. These tools are available to assist parents (and teachers) make sense of how they can help youth understand online risks and better protect them in an ever-changing technological world.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection, a national charitable organization dedicated to the personal safety of all children, will be releasing new educational resources to help address growing concerns related to the online sexual exploitation of teens. The “How Can Parents Keep Teens Safe from Online Sexual Exploitation?” guide will complement a new educational kit for teachers of students in Grade 7 and 8. Lessons include information about healthy and unhealthy relationships, establishing personal boundaries, and what constitutes inappropriate adult-child interactions.
“We need to do a much better job of helping kids understand when they need help, where to get that help and why it is so important to reach out to a safe adult,” says Lianna McDonald, Executive Director, Canadian Centre for Child Protection. “This is why, in partnership with Halifax Regional Police, we are helping to ensure that Canadians are aware of the important educational resources we have to offer to better protect youth.”
Teachers also play a critical role in teens’ lives and in recognition of this, the Canadian Centre will be distributing over a million Internet safety materials to schools across Canada free-of-charge. Both parents and teachers alike can access age-specific Internet safety information by visiting The Door That’s Not Locked website (www.thedoorthatsnotlocked.ca). The Halifax Regional Police is also encouraging parents and others to sign up for Cybertip.ca Alerts – a new notification system that offers vital information to the public concerning technology trends and new resources designed to increase children’s personal safety. Visit Cybertip.ca to sign-up today!
About the Canadian Centre for Child Protection: The goal of the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (www.protectchildren.ca) is to reduce child victimization by providing programs and services to the Canadian public. Its four national programs include Cybertip.ca (www.cybertip.ca), Canada’s tipline to report the online sexual exploitation of children; MissingKids.ca (www.missingkids.ca), a national missing children resource and response center; Kids in the Know (www.kidsintheknow.ca), an interactive child personal safety program for children in Kindergarten to Grade 9; and Commit to Kids (www.commit2kids.ca), a program to help child-serving organizations create safer environments for the children in their care and reduce their risk of sexual abuse.