The Ironwood Project
the resource project

Understanding Modern Online Risks

Keeping Children Safe Online


The internet is where children learn, play, connect, and create, but it can also expose them to risks. The best protection is an informed parent, open communication, and a child who knows they can always come to you for help.


Online Clues of Sexual Abuse

Online sexual abuse can happen through social media, livestreaming, messaging, gaming, video chat, or image-sharing platforms. You may notice that your child:

  • Quickly closes screens or hides conversations.

  • Uses a second or secret account.

  • Receives gifts, money, game credits, food deliveries, or new devices from an unknown person.

  • Communicates frequently with someone they have never met offline.

  • Moves conversations to private or encrypted platforms.

  • Is asked to keep an online friendship secret.

  • Becomes anxious when a message arrives.

  • Stays online late at night or uses devices secretly.

  • Receives requests for private photos, sexual images, or video calls.

  • Is threatened after sharing an image.

  • Suddenly deletes an account or avoids a favourite platform.

  • Appears frightened, ashamed, panicked, or desperate about something online.


Adults should tell children they can ask for help without automatically losing device privileges or being punished. If an adult sends sexual content to a child, requests sexual images, or sexualizes online communication, report the concern to Cybertip.ca.


10 Ways to Help Keep Your Child Safe

  • Keep the conversation open. Talk about online life as naturally as you ask about school, friends, or hobbies.

  • Let your child know they can tell you anything. If something goes wrong online, reassure them they will not get in trouble for asking for help.

  • Know where your child spends time online. Ask about their favourite games, apps, websites, and creators.

  • Use privacy settings. Review privacy settings together and keep accounts as private as possible.

  • Teach children to protect personal information. Never share a full name, address, school, passwords, phone number, or location with people online.

  • Remind them that people online are not always who they claim to be. Anyone can pretend to be someone else.

  • Talk about online grooming. Explain that someone who asks for secrets, gives gifts, offers special attention, or wants private conversations may not have safe intentions.

  • Keep devices in shared family spaces when possible. This allows younger children to receive guidance and support while using technology.

  • Set family technology expectations. Agree on age-appropriate rules for apps, gaming, social media, screen time, and downloading new programs.

  • Trust your instincts. If something online makes you or your child uncomfortable, take it seriously.


Teach Your Child These Five Safety Rules

  1. I can always tell a trusted adult if something online makes me uncomfortable.

  2. I never have to keep secrets from my parents or caregivers.

  3. I don't share personal information or photos with people I don't know.

  4. I can leave a game, chat, or video call at any time.

  5. If someone asks me to keep a conversation secret, I will tell a trusted adult.


Watch for Warning Signs

Your child may need extra support if they suddenly:

  • Become secretive about their devices.

  • Delete messages frequently.

  • Receive gifts from someone online.

  • Spend excessive time chatting with one person.

  • Become anxious when asked about online activities.

  • Withdraw from family or friends.

  • Suddenly having new devices, money, or gift cards.

  • Become unusually upset when internet access is limited.


These behaviours do not necessarily mean a child is being exploited, but they are good reasons to start a calm, supportive conversation.


Understanding Sextortion and AI-Generated Images

The internet is changing rapidly, and children today face risks that did not exist just a few years ago.

One growing concern is sextortion—when someone threatens to share a sexual image or video unless a child sends more images, money, or complies with other demands.

Another emerging concern is AI-generated sexual images, sometimes called deepfakes. Artificial intelligence can now be used to create or manipulate realistic-looking sexual images of children, even when no original sexual image existed. A child's face may be placed onto another person's body or altered without their knowledge or consent.

These images may be used to:

  • embarrass or humiliate a child

  • bully or harass them

  • threaten or extort them

  • manipulate them into sending additional images

  • exploit them sexually


Children should know:

  • They are never responsible for someone else's decision to manipulate or create an image.

  • They should tell a trusted adult immediately if someone threatens to share, create, or edit an image of them.

  • They should never try to handle threats on their own.

If this happens:

  • Stay calm.

  • Reassure your child they are not in trouble.

  • Save messages or screenshots if it is safe to do so.

  • Report the incident to Cybertip.ca.

  • Contact police if there are threats, extortion, or concerns for your child's immediate safety.


If Something Happens

  • Stay calm.

  • Listen without judgment.

  • Believe your child.

  • Save messages, usernames, or screenshots if it is safe to do so.

  • Block and report the person on the platform.

  • If you believe a child is being sexually exploited online, report it to Cybertip.ca.

  • If a child is in immediate danger, call 911.


A Note on Digital Content

If the abuse involved digital content, exploitation, or online luring, report directly to Cybertip.ca, Canada's national tip line. Do not go through your child's phone or devices looking for evidence.

For digital exploitation, online luring, or image-based abuse: Report directly to Cybertip.ca, 

Canada's national tip line. Reports are reviewed by trained analysts who coordinate with law enforcement across the country.


Remember: Technology can help protect children, but it cannot replace a trusting relationship. Children are far more likely to ask for help when they know they will be listened to, believed, and supported.





This information reflects current trauma-informed guidance from the Ontario child advocacy centres, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, BOOST Child & Youth Advocacy Centre, the National Child Traumatic Stress Network, the Ontario Association of Children's Aid Societies, the Canadian Paediatric Society, and peer-reviewed research on child development and recovery following childhood sexual abuse.


The following organizations and publications were referenced in the preparation of this information.