Provincial police are urging parents to talk to their children after an 11-year-old in Norfolk County reportedly shared sexually explicit images using her cell phone.
The Ontario Provincial Police said a concerned adult contacted officers on Thursday after learning that the preteen had used her cellphone to send the sexually inappropriate video and photos to an unknown person.
Norfolk County OPP said there has been a noticeable increase in similar incidents involving youth who are asked to send sexually explicit images or videos of themselves over the internet.
"Everyone needs to realize the long and short term dangers when requests are made to send out sexually explicit photographs. Those who distribute it also need to be aware of the criminal ramifications of doing so. Once it's out there, you can't get it back and you should not be embarrassed to speak to police about your concerns," said Provincial Constable Ed Sanchuk in a news release.
Police are encouraging parents to have honest and frank discussions with their children about self-peer exploitation, and explain that the images often end up somewhere they may not want them to be.
The OPP said parents and their children should be aware of who they can turn to for information and help, such as the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. The centre offers a top line to report sexual exploitation which can be found at Cybertip.ca.
