Prepared for Public Safety Canada
Supplier name: Ipsos Public Affairs
Contract number: D-160-201019/001/CY
Contract value: $130,429.18 – phase 1/2
Award delivery: February 2020
Delivery date: March 2020
Registration Number: POR 018-19
For more information on this report, please contact Public Services and Procurement Canada at tpsgc.questions-questions.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca
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March 2020
This public opinion research report presents the results of an online survey conducted by Ipsos Public Affairs on behalf of Public Safety Canada. The research study was conducted with over 2,000 Canadians, including parents, between February and March 2020.
This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Public Safety Canada.
Catalogue Number: PS4-270/1-2020E-PDF
International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-35723-2
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© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2020
I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Ipsos that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.
Mike Colledge
President
Ipsos Public Affairs
Child sexual exploitation (CSE) online is a pressing and severe public safety issue in Canada, and internationally. This crime is on the rise and continues to increase significantly because of new technological advances. These technological advances—combined with low cost and anonymity—are contributing factors to this growing problem, allowing child sex offenders to easily recruit (luring and grooming) and coerce (sextortion) children.
There is an urgent need to focus on effective prevention and awareness of CSE online, given the alarming rate at which this crime is growing, and a need for improved data collection, increased research efforts, and enhanced information exchange at the national level, to better understand the underpinnings and contributing factors surrounding online CSE.
PSC has led the National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation on the Internet since 2004. The National Strategy was launched to provide a focal point for federal efforts to combat this crime. The focus was put on law enforcement capacity, research, prevention and education activities, as well as support for Cybertip.ca, Canada’s national tip line for reporting online CSE and child abuse. Since the National Strategy’s renewal in 2009, the technological landscape has changed considerably and because of this, the National Strategy has been enhanced to ensure it reflects today’s reality.
This research is intended to obtain data about people’s perception, awareness, and understanding about online child sexual exploitation activities across Canada. The objectives of the research are to establish a quantitative baseline of the state of public opinion on child sexual exploitation online, including awareness, knowledge, attitudes and behaviours. The data obtained will help identify and establish which segment(s) of the Canadian population should be targeted through a social marketing campaign intended to increase awareness, knowledge, and public support that will enhance the protection of children from online sexual exploitation. The research will also help identify how to change the behaviour of Canadians through addressing gaps about the causes and effects of online CSE and enhance Canadians’ ability and willingness to identify online CSE.
These are the results of the Public Safety Canada Online Child Sexual Exploitation Survey conducted online from February 25th to March 4th, 2020.
The survey was conducted among two sample groups:
The overall sample size of the survey was n=2,072 including n= 1,119 Canadians 18 and over (General Population), and n=953 Canadian parents with a child aged 8-17 (Parents). Respondents to the survey were drawn from Ipsos’ online panel sample sources making it a non-probability sample.
Due to the non-probabilistic nature of the research, a known sampling limitation is that the results cannot be extrapolated to the rest of the Canadian population. However, online panel surveys like the one conducted, are commonly used in the public opinion and market research industry and provide useful insights on the knowledge and opinion of the Canadian population as the samples are designed to be representative of the population, regionally, demographically and socio-economically. Moreover, the large sample size on which the current survey is based (greater than n=2,000) ensures the insights are highly reliable.
Quotas and weighting were employed to ensure that each sample’s composition reflects the characteristics of the latest (2016) Census data. The general population sample group was weighted by:
The parent sample group was weighted by
The precision of online surveys is measured using a credibility interval. In this case, the overall findings of the research are accurate to within ±3.3%, 19 times out of 20 for the general population, and within ±3.6%, 19 times out of 20 for parents of children aged 8-17. The credibility interval will be wider for subsets of the population.
To help the reader understand how opinions of the general population and parents are similar and different on this topic, the results obtained from these groups are reported separately. Although there is a natural incidence of parents within the general population sample, for the purpose of the report, the results reported for questions identified as being appropriate to only the parent’s population are based on the designated parent sample only (n=953).
The survey instrument consisted of a series of closed-end and open-end questions designed in consultation with Public Safety Canada. The survey was offered in both official languages and averaged 14 minutes in length for parents of children aged 8-17, and 5 minutes in length for the general population.
Prior to assessing Canadians’ specific awareness or understanding of child sexual exploitation, the quantitative survey began by obtaining a baseline of Canadians’ overall opinion of how safe the internet is for kids. This provides an indication of how prevalent a concern internet safety for kids is among the general population and parents. In fact, Canadian parents of children aged 8-17 (referred to as “parents” for the rest of this report) are concerned. Nearly two-thirds of parents disagree that “kids today live in a safe online environment” 63%3 with only 11% of parents agreeing.4 Women (67% vs. 57% men) and parents who are concerned about CSE locally5 (70%) and in Canada (71% vs. 65% rest of the world) 6 are more likely to disagree that kids today live in a safe online environment.
Corresponding with the perception that the internet is a largely unsafe place for children, agreement is strong that “digital service providers should be able to proactively seek out child abuse material on their platforms, even if it meant less online personal privacy for Canadians” with 68% of parents agreeing,7 and 10% disagreeing.8 Parents who are university graduates (81% vs. 67% Post-Secondary graduates, 68% high school graduates), are parents of female children (73% vs. 65% male children), and are those who have heard about online CSE recently 9 (72% vs. 64% who have not heard about the issue) are more likely to agree that digital service providers should be able to seek out child abuse material on their platforms.
These figures are largely the same among the general population with 9% agreeing10 that kids live in a safe online environment and 65% agreeing11 that digital service providers should be able to proactively seek out child abuse material on their platform, indicating that this baseline measure is consistent across both sample groups. Like the parent population, women (76% vs. 63% men) and those who are concerned about CSE locally (77%) and in Canada (75% vs. 71% rest of the world) are more likely to disagree that kids today live in a safe online environment. Interestingly, in the general population younger respondents (18-34) were more likely to think that kids today do live in a safe online environment (16% 18-34 vs. 9% 35-54, 5% 55+). Correspondingly, they are the least likely to agree that digital service providers should be able to proactively seek out child abuse material on their platforms (72% 55+, 64% 35-54 vs. 56% 18-34) pointing to this age group as a target for education around online CSE.
Figure 1: Attitudes Towards Internet Safety
QA. To begin, to what extent do you agree/disagree with the statements below? Base All Respondents: Parents- (n=953). General Population- (n=1116).
Most Canadians have a general understanding of what online CSE refers to. Only 6% of the general population and 6% of parents indicate outright that they do not know what the term means. However, among the 94% of parents who provided an answer, responses are wide ranging – and very few to none mention important aspects of what constitutes online child sexual exploitation.
Canadians most frequently define online CSE as nude/explicit photos (31% parents; 30% general population), pornography/child pornography (26% parents; 30% general population), exploitation/taking advantage (21% parents; 18% general population), and abuse/child abuse/sexual abuse (18% parents; 15% general population). While these responses were consistent among the parent population, women in the general population were more likely to mention nude/explicit photos (39% vs. 20%) or pornography/child pornography (33% vs. 26% men) in their definitions of online CSE.
Smaller proportions of parents mention luring (12%), online predators (6%), trafficking and the sex trade (5%), and pretending to be a child online or creating a false profile (5%). Less than 5% of parents mention grooming (3%), bullying (2%), cyber stalking (1%) and blackmailing (<1%). These mentions were also consistent across subgroups within the parent population. While some parents may be thinking about sexting (sending sexually explicit photographs or messages via a mobile phone) or sextortion (extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity) in their comments; these terms were rarely mentioned specifically.
Figure 2: Definitions of Online CSE
Responses <4% not shown
Q1. This survey is about online child sexual exploitation. For clarity, when we say “child”, we’re referring to anyone under the age of 18. We know this is a sensitive topic but an important one. We value your participation in this study to help increase awareness and prevention of online child sexual exploitation. To the best of your knowledge, what does online child sexual exploitation refer to? Please be as specific as possible. Base All Respondents: Parents- (n=953). General Population- (n=1116).
Nearly six in ten (57%) Canadian parents have seen, read, or heard a lot or some12 about CSE as an issue in the past three months. Comparatively, 46% of the general population report a lot or some recall of the issue, indicating that parents are more “tuned in” to discussions and media exposure of online CSE, likely due to their desire to be aware and protect their own children.
Figure 3: Heard Something About Online CSE
Q2a. How much have you seen, read or heard about online child sexual exploitation as an issue in the past three months? Base: All Respondents: Parents- (n=953). General Population- (n=1116).
Within the parent population, parents who follow their children on social media are significantly more likely to have heard about online CSE in the past 3 months (62% vs. 43% does not follow, 54% child does not use social media). Interestingly, the results seem to suggest that parents need to hear about the issue in the media or otherwise to prompt them to think it is an issue for them e.g. in their neighbourhood. Parents who consider online CSE to be a big problem13 in “the rest of the world” are also significantly more likely to say they have heard not much/nothing at all about online CSE in the past 3 months (39% vs. 33% local, 34% Canada). This same phenomena is seen among the general population- respondents who consider online CSE to be a big problem in “the rest of the world” are more likely to have heard not much/nothing about online CSE in the past three months (51% vs. 39% local, 43% Canada). Importantly, within the general population those who consider CSE to be a big problem locally are also those who register having seen or heard a lot/some about CSE in the past three months (61% local vs. 57% Canada, 49% rest of the world), pointing to a relationship between hearing about online CSE and understanding its impact locally. This is especially significant as it suggests that reminders of online CSE helps to close the gap between considering online CSE as something that happens “somewhere else,” and something that happens “near you”.
Among parents who have seen a lot or some about CSE online as an issue recently, 14% specifically heard about criminals/people being caught and arrested, 10% heard about child exploitation, and that CSE online is an increasing/growing problem (10%). A further 10% mention having seen/heard about CSE in the media (e.g., TV, radio, news media, etc.). These same topics are identified by the general population, with 13% of those who have seen a lot or some about online CSE mentioning criminals being caught, while a further 12% note that online CSE is an increasing/growing problem, and 11% note they have seen/ heard about CSE in the media (e.g., TV, radio, news media, etc.), indicating that similar topics are breaking through as the most prevalent among both the parent and general population. Women in both the parent and general populations are more likely to highlight the prevalence of CSE on social media (parents- 10% women vs. 3% men; general population- 9% women vs. 2% men) with most other mentions being consistent across subgroups of the parent and general populations.
Very few have heard of stories about sexting and even fewer think about sexting when they think about online CSE – even though those who engage in sexting could be at risk of online CSE. When asked what they had heard about online CSE in the past 3 months 4% of parents and 5% of the general population mentioned having seen/read/ or heard about sexting. Less than 1% of parents or respondents in the general population identified sexting as an aspect of online CSE.
Parents hear about online CSE most frequently through television (53%), social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc.) (47%) or an internet website (38%) with smaller proportions mentioning newspapers (35%), radio (31%), or friends and family (28%). Similarly, within the general population, information on CSE is predominantly consumed through television (59%) or social media (45%). Smaller proportions of the general population hear about online CSE through a newspaper (33%) or an internet website (29%). Women in both the parent and general populations are more likely to have heard about online CSE through their friends (parents- 33% women vs. 23% men; general population- 28% women vs. 16% men) or through social media (parents- 56% women vs. 37% men; general population- 54% women vs. 35% men) further indicating that in many ways the parent and general populations are similar in how they consume information about online CSE.
A large majority of parents consider CSE to be a big problem in the rest of the world, but surprisingly few see it as a local problem. Fully 84% of parents consider online CSE to be a big problem14 in the rest of the world, with fewer (59%) considering it a big problem in Canada, their province (50%), in their city (28%) and least of all in their neighbourhood (12%). While most parents have heard about online CSE, very few still believe that it is happening close to them. This phenomenon is similarly seen among the general population with the majority (83%) considering online CSE to be a big issue15 in the rest of the world, but less so in Canada (54%), their province (43%), their city (26%), or their neighbourhood (9%).
Geographically, parents in Ontario are more likely than those in British Columbia or the Prairies to consider online CSE as a problem in their province (55% ON vs. 41% BC, 42% Sask/Man) or their cities (ON 32% vs. 22% BC, 22% QC). Ontarians in the general population are also more likely to believe online CSE is a big problem in their province (49% ON vs. BC 38%, AB 36%, ATL 33%) and in their cities (ON 32% vs., 20% ATL, 16% QC). Additionally, parents who are residents of rural communities are significantly more likely to consider online CSE a big problem in their province (59% vs. 48% urban) and in Canada (72% vs. 57% urban).
Figure 4: Consideration of Online CSE as an Issue Locally, and in the Rest of the World
Responses <5% not shown
Q4. And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in…? Base All Respondents: Parents- (n=953). General Population- (n=1116).
Those who are more likely to acknowledge that online CSE is happening close to them include female parents, who are significantly more likely to consider online CSE as a big problem in their neighbourhood (15% vs. 9% men), city (33% vs. 23% men), province (55% vs. 43% men), and in Canada (64% vs. 53% men). Engagement shows a similarly heightened attitude as parents who follow their children on social media are more likely to think online CSE is a big problem in their city (32% vs. 23% who do not follow their child, 24% who believe their child does not use social media) and their neighbourhood (16% vs. 8% who believe their child does not use social media). Familiarity with cybertip.ca also indicates an increased understanding of the prevalence of online CSE as parents who are familiar with cybertip.ca are more likely to think online CSE is a big problem in their neighbourhood (21% familiar vs. 9% unfamiliar), city (41% familiar vs. 26% unfamiliar), province (61% familiar vs. 47% unfamiliar) or in Canada (73% vs. 56%). This is important to highlight as it indicates that parents who are more engaged in their child’s online experience and are aware of online tools like cybertip.ca are also more likely to understand the prevalence of online CSE within Canada and their own neighbourhoods. It therefore reasons, that encouraging parents to engage with their children online and raising awareness of cybertip.ca would accordingly increase understanding of the pervasive nature of online CSE in Canada.
A variation between the parent and general populations is that older respondents in the general population are more likely to consider online CSE to be a big problem in their city (32% 55+ vs. 24% 35-54, 21% 18-34), province, (53% 55+ vs. 41% 35-54, 31% 18-34), and in Canada (65% 55+ vs. 53% 35-54, 41% 18-34). While this greater awareness among older respondents is not seen in the parent population, this is likely due to the parent population being defined as those who have a child aged 8-17. Respondents aged 55+ are less likely to have a child under the age of 17 and therefore are less populous in the parent sample. What can be gleaned from this information is that as parents (and therefore their children) age, understanding of the prevalence of online CSE also increases, indicating that education materials should be targeted towards younger (aged 54 and under) parents.
The vast majority of parents report that their child goes online, including on a phone or tablet (92%), at home on a computer (79%), or on a school computer or tablet (79%). Lesser proportions indicate their child goes online at home on a gaming system (58%) or somewhere else (44%). Parents with children aged 14 or more (hereafter referred to as “older children”) are more likely to say their child is active on a home computer (85% vs. 72% 13 years old or younger), on a phone or tablet (94% vs. 90% 13 years old or younger), or “somewhere else” (51% vs. 36% 13 years old or younger).
Among parents whose child goes online at home, 14% say they “always” monitor their child’s activity, with 31% mostly monitoring, 35% sometimes monitoring, 15% rarely monitoring, and 4% never monitoring their child’s online activity. Frequency of monitoring varies by the age of the child with parents of younger children (aged 13 years or less) being significantly more likely to monitor their child always or mostly (64% vs. 31% 14 years or older). Parents who have not heard something recently about online CSE16 are also more likely to rarely or never monitor their child’s online activity (26% vs. 15%) while parents familiar with cybertip.ca are more likely to always/mostly monitor their child’s online activity (63% vs. 37% unfamiliar with cybertip.ca).
Among parents who monitor their child, the most commonly used safeguard to monitor a child’s activity is checking their browser history (57%) closely followed by keeping the computer in a common room (54%). Another 37% of parents who monitor their children’s online activity say they block sites, while 27% sit with them while they are online. Smaller proportions elect to discuss or have a conversation (9%), install a child security app (2%), or do periodic spot checking (2%), while 9% state they do none of these.
The actions parents take to monitor their child varies by the age of the child. Parents of younger children (aged 13 or younger) take a more “hands on” approach opting to check their child’s browser history (62% vs. 53% 14 years old or more), keep the computer in a common room (60% vs. 49% 14 years old or more), block sites (45% vs. 30% 14 years old or more), or sit with their child when they’re online (36% vs. 19% 14 years old or more).
The impact of cybertip.ca in prompting parents to monitor their child’s online activity is seen as parents who are aware of cybertip.ca are significantly more likely to check browser history (73% vs. 50% unaware of cybertip.ca), keep the computer in a common room (65% vs. 49% unaware of cybertip.ca), block sites (61% vs. 29% unaware of cybertip.ca), or sit with their child while they’re online (35% vs. 25% unaware of cybertip.ca).
Notably, despite most children being active online, three in ten (29%) parents indicate their child does not use social media, significantly higher among parents of younger children (52% 13 years or younger vs. 10% 14 years or older). It is unclear the extent to which these parents are actively blocking social media or are just of the belief that their child is not using social media.
Among the 79% of parents who indicate that their child goes online at school, more than half (55%) do not know what safeguards are in place at their child’s school. This is significantly higher among female parents (59% vs. 51% men) and parents who have not heard about online CSE recently (66% vs. 47%). Two in ten (22%) mention the use of a website/Wi-Fi blocker with smaller proportions mentioning supervision or monitoring generally (6%) or by a teacher or adult supervisor (6%).
Only half (54%) of parents follow their child on social media. Female parents (58% vs. 49% men), parents who have heard about online CSE recently (59% vs. 47% others), and parents who have encountered online CSE17 (67% vs. 50% not encountered) are significantly more likely to follow their child on social media. Parents who choose not to follow their child on social media are more likely to be men (21% vs. 14% women), aged 55+ (26% vs. 14% 35-54), and those unaware of online CSE (23% vs 13% aware).
Figure 5: Parent Engagement with Child’s Social Media
Q14a. Do you “follow” your child on social media? Base: Parents of children age 8-17 (n=953).
Q14b. And, do you know the passwords for their account(s)? Base: Parents of children age 8-17 who children use social media (n=666).
Among parents who indicate their child does have social media, one third (34%) have the passwords to all their child’s social media accounts, while a further 31% have passwords to some, and 35% have none. Parents of older children are three times more likely to elect not to follow their child on social media (24% 14 years old or more vs. 8% 13 years old or younger). They are similarly more likely to say they do not have the passwords to any of their child’s social media accounts (41% vs. 20% 13 years old or younger) possibly indicating that as children age, parents feel less of a responsibility to monitor their social media or have access to their profiles.
More than half (53%) of parents indicate their child interacts with others on YouTube, with a further 47% citing Instagram as a means of online interaction for their child. Further mentions include Facebook (41%), Snapchat (40%), Minecraft (27%), TikTok (26%) and Fortnite (23%), with only 4% of parents indicating they don’t know where their child socializes online.
Figure 6: Where the Child Interacts Online
Responses <2% not shown
Q15. To the best of your knowledge, on which site does your child interact with others through social media, gaming, or other internet sites? Please check all that apply. Base: Parents of children age 8-17 (n=953).
When asked whom their child interacts with online, 65% of parents state their child interacts only with friends or family, the largest proportion by far. Male parents (69% vs. 61% women), and parents aged 55+ (74% vs. 62% 35-54) are more likely to say their child only interacts with friends and family as are parents of younger children (70% vs. 61% 14 years old or more). One in four (25%) state that their child interacts online with friends of friends, with a further 16% stating their child interacts with popular celebrities/influencers (YouTube stars, professional gamers, etc.) online. Approximately one in ten (12%) parents acknowledge their child interacts with strangers online.
Figure 7: Who Child Interacts with Online
Q16. And, who does your child interact with online? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous. Please select all that apply. Base: Parents of children age 8-17 whose children interact online (n=894).
Parents who speak with their children about online CSE most commonly discuss who their child talks to or interacts with online with 48% of parents speaking to their child about this issue weekly, or more frequently.18 Just under half of parents speak to their child about what they talk to others about online (44%) or what sites they’re visiting online (43%) weekly or more, and a quarter (25%) speak to their child about privacy setting or what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable (26%) on a weekly basis or more often.19 Few parents speak to their child weekly20 about difficult subjects, including what to do if they know someone is being exploited online (18%), sending sexual images or videos online (16%), sexting (13%) or sextortion (13%). In fact, these most difficult subjects tend to be those that parents do not speak to their child about at all - 46% of parents have never spoken to their child about sextortion, while 42% have never spoken to their child about sexting.
Parents who admit to having never spoken to their child about sexting or sextortion are more likely to be parents of male children (58% vs. 50% who have spoken to their child about sexting or sextortion), and of younger children- aged 13 years or less (55% vs. 36% spoken to their children). While full-time parents or homemakers are more willing to admit they have never spoken to their child about these sensitive topics (13% vs. 10% have spoken to their child), there is no variation by education, region, age, or gender to indicate what demographic of parents are more or less likely to speak to their children on these issues.
On easier topics to speak about, like privacy settings or what sites their child visits, parents of male and female children perform equally. But when it comes to the most sensitive topics, parents of male children are far less likely to speak to their child about topics including sexting, (47% vs. 37% female children), sextortion (51% vs. 40% female children), sending sexual images or videos online (38% vs. 28% female children), what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable (19% vs. 12% female children), and what to do if they know of someone being exploited online (34% vs. 23% female children) indicating that parents of male children could be a target group for social marketing communications.
Female parents are significantly more likely to speak to their children more frequently about a wide variety of online subjects, including: who they talk to/interact with (58% women vs. 37% men), what they talk to others about (49% women vs. 37% men), what site they’re visiting (47% women vs. 39% men), what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable (29% women vs. 23% men), and privacy settings (29% women vs. 20% men). Parents of younger children are also more engaged in speaking with their children on a weekly (or more) basis about who they talk to or interact with online (58% vs. 40% 14 years old or more), what they talk to others about (53% vs. 36% 14 years old or more), what sites they’re visiting (55% vs. 34% 14 years old or more), or what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable (34% vs. 21% 14 years old or more). When it comes to the topics of sending sexual images online or sexting, indigenous parents lead the way- they are significantly more likely than non-indigenous parents to speak to their children about sending sexual images or videos online (40% vs. 15% non-indigenous), and sexting (27% vs. 13% non-indigenous).
Parents who have not heard about online CSE recently are more likely to speak to their children about all types of CSE topics. Those who have not are more likely to admit to never having spoken to their child about sexting or sextortion (sexting- 53% never vs. 34%; sextortion- 56% never vs. 38%). Parents who think that online CSE is a problem “in the rest of the world” are also more likely to have never spoken to their child about these subjects (sexting- 41% rest of the world vs. 36% locally, 38% Canada; sextortion- 46% rest of the world vs. 40% locally, 43% Canada).
Only two in ten (22%) parents have looked for information about online CSE and how to protect their children. Those most likely to have searched online include parents of female children (25% vs. 19% male children), parents who have heard about online CSE recently (32% vs. 9% did not hear about the issue recently) and those concerned about CSE locally (27% vs. 25% Canada, 24% rest of the world). When asked what information they would like to have to protect their children from online CSE, 71% of parents want information on how to recognize the signs while a further 66% want information on privacy and security measures. More than half (57%) of parents want information on how to speak to their children about online CSE while almost half would like more information about laws (48%) or resources and help lines (46%). Female parents are more likely to want information on how to recognize the signs (74% vs. 68% men), how to talk to their kids (61% vs. 52% men), and laws (51% vs. 44% men), while parents who have encountered21 online CSE are more likely to want to know about the effects on victims (35% vs. 26% not encountered).
Among parents who would like further information about online CSE, 71% would prefer to find the information online while a further 62% would like the information to be provided by a school. Nearly half (48%) would prefer to receive communication about CSE through the mail via a brochure or pamphlet, while 44% would rather find this information on social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc.). Female parents are more likely to want to receive this information through the school (67% vs. 56% male), a pamphlet or brochure in the mail (52% vs. 43% male), social media (48% vs. 39% male), or a doctor’s office (32% vs. 23% male).
Parents were asked a series of statements related to their physical and social context pertaining to CSE, their psychological ability to deal with CSE, their automatic and reflective motivation in addressing CSE with their child.
While 39% of parents agree22 they know where to go to seek help about internet safety, a quarter (25%) also agree that they can’t keep up with the technology and apps their child is using, higher among parents of older children (28% 14 years or older vs. 22% 13 years old or younger). A quarter (23%) of parents agree23 they keep information and resources about internet safety handy and 79% of parents disagree24 that they don’t have time to talk to their child about online activities, indicating a commitment to online safety. Men (45% vs. 34% women), parents who have heard about online CSE recently (43% vs. 34% not) or are aware of cybertip.ca (62% vs. 32% unaware) are significantly more likely to know where to go to seek help about internet safety. Recent coverage of online CSE (29% vs. 16% did not) and awareness of cybertip.ca (49% vs. 16% unaware) also make parents more likely to have information/resources about internet safety handy.
The majority (85%) of parents take responsibility for speaking to their child about internet safety and 70% agree25 that their child would feel comfortable turning to them or their partner for advice regarding online activities. Concern that their own child is a victim of online CSE is low26 (29%), and only 11% of parents consider it difficult to speak to their child about CSE , as well as 12% who feel that they would be pushing their child away if they were to speak to them about internet safety. Despite this, there is still an opportunity for improvement, as only 43% of parents agree27 that their child expects them to speak to them about internet safety, pointing to a potential gap in knowledge sharing.
The social context of responding to online CSE varies by the gender of parents. Male parents are significantly more likely to cite barriers to engaging with their children stating they worry that talking about internet safety with their child will push them away (15% vs. 10% women) and that they find it difficult and uncomfortable to bring up internet safety with their child (14% vs. 8% women). Contrastingly, women show high measures of responsibility and trust- they are more likely to state they are responsible for talking to their child about internet safety (88% vs. 82% men), their child expects them to talk to them about internet safety (47% vs. 39% men), and believe that their child would be comfortable turning to them for advice regarding online activities (75% vs. 64% men). Interestingly, parents who have heard about online CSE recently (15% vs. 8% others) and of cybertip.ca (24% vs. 10% unaware) are still more likely to feel that talking to their children about internet safety may push them away, indicating that awareness does not necessarily lead to action.
Fewer than two-thirds of parents (62%) feel confident they know how to talk about internet safety with their child, and 15% admit that they don’t know how to convince their child to speak to them about their online activity,28 a figure that is elevated among male parents (20% vs. 11% women). Parents who have heard about online CSE recently (68% vs. 54% others) and cybertip.ca (78% vs. 56% unaware) are more likely to say they know how to talk to their child about internet safety indicating that a stronger knowledge base can lead to stronger confidence for parents to speak to their children about CSE.
More than half of parents agree that talking about internet safety with their child makes them feel good (63%) and safe (58%), while a further 45% consider discussing internet safety a habit in their household29. Parents who have heard about online CSE recently are significantly more likely to say that talking about internet safety with their child makes them feel safe (61% vs. 54% others) and good (69% vs. 56%). Similarly, parents aware of cybertip.ca feel safe (72% vs. 53%) and good (74% vs. 60%) speaking with their child. Despite indicating that speaking with their child about internet safety makes them feel safe and good, parents who are aware of cybertip.ca are also more likely to agree that speaking with their child about internet safety may push their child away30. It is necessary here to differentiate between the parent’s motivation to speak to their child and their ability to do so. In this case we can reconcile that although a parent might feel good and safe speaking with their child about internet safety, it does not necessarily inspire the same feeling in the child- this same parent might find it difficult to broach the subject of online CSE with their child, despite being motivated to do so by their emotional response and their awareness of cybertip.ca
While half (51%) of parents agree that speaking to their child about their online activity will help protect them from child sexual exploitation, agreement is softer (36%) that speaking to their child is the only way to prevent them from being sexually exploited.31 Awareness of cybertip.ca increases agreement with both statements.
One in three (33%) parents have had their child come to them to discuss questionable online activity that they have experienced or have heard about from a friend/peer, significantly higher among parents of female children (38% vs. 29% male children).
Nearly a quarter (23%) of parents have come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards their child online, with 4% indicating their child has been the victim of online child sexual exploitation. Both figures are significantly higher among indigenous parents- 50% state they have witnessed inappropriate behaviour online geared towards their child (vs. 21% non-indigenous) and 16% say their child has been a victim of online CSE (vs. 4% non-indigenous). Parents of older children (aged 14 or more) are also more likely to have witnessed inappropriate behaviour (26% vs. 19% 13 years or younger) or say their child has been victimized (6% vs. 2% 13 years or younger).
Figure 8: Encountered or Experienced Online CSE
Q19. Have you ever come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards your child or other youth online? Examples may include concerning comments written to a child or images being shared among peers. Base: Parents of children age 8-17: (n=953)
Q21. To the best of your knowledge, has your child ever been a victim of any form of online child sexual exploitation? That is, online luring/offering a reward in exchange for something, online child pornography, forced into online prostitution, sexting and nonconsensual distribution of intimate images. Base: Parents of children age 8-17: (n=953)
When asked to describe what had happened to their child or what had been witnessed online as inappropriate behaviour, 15% of parents mention having seen or received sexual or offensive media material including videos, photos or messages. A further 10% detail witnessing, or their child being asked or offered to engage in sexual or explicit videos or photos. One in ten (8%) parents cite instances of cyber bullying, while 40% would prefer not to detail the incident.
Indigenous parents and children are some of the most affected by online CSE. While there are no significant differences between Indigenous and non-Indigenous respondents in terms of the frequency of specific offences experienced, the survey finds that 26% of indigenous parents said their child has watched or received sexual or offensive videos or messages while a further 10% described that their child had been offered or asked to engage in such videos or that they had received a friend request from a stranger or adult pretending to be a child (10%). 47% of indigenous parents would prefer not to detail the incident.
After witnessing inappropriate behaviour or having their child be victimized, 80% of parents spoke to their child, while 27% reported it to the school, and two in ten (18%) reported the incident to the police or sought support from other adults like friends or family (18%). Parents of older children (14 years old or more) were far more likely to report the incident to police (24% vs. 6% 13 years or younger), report it to the online platform (18% vs. 8% 13 years or younger) or seek counselling for their child (14% vs. 5% 13 years or younger). Among the 8% of parents who did not do anything, half (50%) could not provide an explanation for their inaction. Among parents who did take action following witnessing or having their child be a victim of CSE online, 86% were satisfied with the outcome, with those unsatisfied citing reasons of the result not being enough (3%) or there being a need to pay for the crime done (3%).
Among parents of children who have experienced CSE, one third (34%) feel there has been no long lasting effect from the incident, a further third (33%) state their child’s mental health and self-esteem has been impacted while a quarter say their child’s relationships and friendships (25%) and family relationships (25%) have been impacted.
Among parents who have not witnessed or had their child be a victim to online CSE, when asked what they would do if they encountered CSE online, the vast majority (88%) would speak to their child, while 77% would report it to the police, and 46% would report it to the school. 38% of these parents would report the incident to the online platform it occurred on- a figure that is higher among women (41% vs. 34% men) and parents with children who go online outside the home (37% vs. 36% at home). Only 29% of parents would report the incident to cybertip.ca.
Just under two in ten (17%) parents who have not witnessed an incident of online CSE know that there has been an incident within their community, significantly higher among parents who have female children (21% vs. 13% male children). 41% say there has not been any incident of CSE in their community, significantly higher among Quebecers (58%) than any other region, as well as parents in rural communities (54% vs. 40% urban). 42% are unsure.
Only 16% of parents consider themselves familiar32 with cybertip.ca and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Indigenous parents (28% vs. 15% non-indigenous), parents who follow their children on social media (21% vs. 9% do not follow, 11% child does not have social media), and parents in the Prairies (23%), Atlantic provinces (21%), or Ontario (19%) are significantly more likely to be familiar with cybertip.ca (vs. QC 10%, AB 9%). Among parents who are familiar, 35% have accessed or downloaded educational resources, 22% have signed up for alerts, and 15% have filed a report. Male parents (22% vs. 9% women) are more likely to have used cybertip.ca to file a report, while parents who have witnessed CSE are more likely to have filed a report (33% vs. 5% not witnessed) or downloaded educational resources (54% vs. 25% not witnessed). Parents of female children are more likely to have done all activities on cybertip.ca compared to parents of male children.
The proportion who indicate that they are familiar with cybertip.ca falls by half to 8% among the general population with no variation by subgroup.33 Among the 8% of the general population who are familiar with cybertip.ca, 39% have accessed or downloaded educational resources, 29% have signed up for alerts, and 19% have filed a report, proportions very similar to the parent population.
Figure 9: Familiarity with Cybertip.ca and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection?
Q8. How familiar are you with www.cybertip.ca and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection? Base All Respondents: Parents- (n=953). General Population- (n=1116).
Two-thirds of parents (66%), and an identical proportion of members of the general population (66%) would agree to give up some of their online privacy rights in order to better protect children from sexual exploitation online.34 While only 9% of parents would disagree and refuse to give up some of their online privacy rights to protect children, this is significantly higher among male parents (12% vs. 6% women). Within the general population, those aged 55+ (72% vs. 64% 18-34, 62% 35-54) and women (71% vs. 62% men) would be more likely to agree to give up their privacy rights online.
| AGE | |
|---|---|
| 18-34 | 1% |
| 35-54 | 76% |
| 55+ | 23% |
| GENDER | |
| Male | 46% |
| Female | 54% |
| REGION | |
| British Columbia | 12% |
| Alberta | 11% |
| Manitoba/Saskatchewan | 6% |
| Ontario | 41% |
| Quebec | 23% |
| Atlantic | 7% |
| AGE and GENDER | |
|---|---|
| Male 18-34 | 14% |
| Male 35-54 | 17% |
| Male 55+ | 18% |
| Female 18-34 | 14% |
| Female 35-54 | 17% |
| Female 55+ | 20% |
| REGION | |
| British Columbia | 14% |
| Alberta | 11% |
| Manitoba/Saskatchewan | 7% |
| Ontario | 38% |
| Quebec | 23% |
| Atlantic | 7% |
[SECTION 1: AWARENESS – UNAIDED/AIDED]
[ASK ALL]
QA. To begin, to what extent do you agree/disagree with the statements below?
[SCALE]
[RANDOMIZE]
Kids today live in a safe online environment
Digital service providers should be able to proactively seek out child abuse material on their platforms, even if it meant less online personal privacy for Canadians
[ASK ALL]
[OPEN]
Q1. This survey is about online child sexual exploitation. For clarity, when we say “child”, we’re referring to anyone under the age of 18. We know this is a sensitive topic but an important one. We value your participation in this study to help increase awareness and prevention of online child sexual exploitation. To the best of your knowledge, what does online child sexual exploitation refer to? Please be as specific as possible.
[TEXT BOX – MAKE MANDATORY]
[ASK ALL]
Q2. In fact, online child sexual exploitation refers to any of the following:
Q2a. How much have you seen, read or heard about online child sexual exploitation as an issue in the past three months?
[IF A LOT/SOME]
Q3. What have you heard about online child sexual exploitation as an issue? Please be as specific as possible.
[TEXT BOX – MAKE MANDATORY]
[IF A LOT/SOME AT Q2A]
Q3B. And, where did you hear this? Please select all that apply.
[RANDOMIZE, MULTIPUNCH]
[ASK ALL]
Q4. And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in…?
[GRID ROWS]
Your neighborhood
Your city
Your province
Canada
The rest of the world
[GRID COLUMNS]
[SCALE]
[SECTION 2: PARENT BEHAVIOURS]
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Now some questions about discussions you may have had with your child/children age 8-18.
[IF MORE THAN ONE CHILD 8-18] For the rest of this survey, when we say “your child” please refer to just one of your children age 8-18 – the one who’s birthday comes next - and this same child throughout
Thank you again for taking the time to answer this very important survey to help ensure that safety of all Canadians. As a reminder, you can opt out of the survey at any time.
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q10. Does your child go online…
[GRID ROWS. RANDOMIZE]
[GRID COLUMNS]
[IF YES AT HOME TO ANY AT Q10]
Q11. And, when your child is online at home, to what extent would you say you are monitoring their activity? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous.
[IF NOT NEVER AT Q11]
Q12. And, what safeguards, if any, do you take to monitor your child’s online activities at home? Please check all that apply.
[RANDOMIZE]
[IF YES AT SCHOOL AT Q10]
Q13. And, to the best of your knowledge, what safeguards are in place at your child’s school? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous. Please be as specific as possible.
[TEXT BOX – MAKE MANDATORY]
Don’t know
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q14a. Do you “follow” your child on social media?
[IF NOT ” My child does not use social media” AT Q14A]
Q14b. And, do you know the passwords for their account(s)?
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q15. To the best of your knowledge, on which site does your child interact with others through social media, gaming, or other internet sites? Please check all that apply.
[IF ANY AT Q15]
Q16. And, who does your child interact with online? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous. Please select all that apply.
[MULTIPUNCH]
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q17. How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child?
[GRID ROWS, [RANDOMIZE]
[COLUMNS]
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q17A. Have you ever looked for information about online Child Sexual Exploitation and how to protect your kids?
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q17AA. What information would you like to have to help better protect your child from online sexual exploitation? Please select all that apply.
[MULTIPUNCH]
[RANDOMIZE]
[IF ANY AT Q17AA, ASK Q17AAA]
Q17AAA. And where would you like to receive or find this information? Please check all that apply.
[RANDOMIZE]
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q17B. Using a scale from 1 to 5 where ‘1’ is strongly disagree and ‘5’ is strongly agree, please indicate the extent to which you agree or disagree with each of the following statements when it comes to talking to your child about internet safety.
[SCALE]
[RAMDOMIZE STATEMENTS BETWEEN AND WITHIN GROUPINGS]
(Physical Context)
I know where to go to seek help about Internet safety
I don’t have time to talk to my child about their online activities
I keep information/resources about internet safety handy
I can’t keep up with technology/apps/games that my child is using
(Social Context)
I worry that talking about internet safety with my child will push them away
My child would feel comfortable turning to me/partner if they needed advice regarding their online activities
I feel that I am responsible for talking to my child about internet safety
My child expects me to talk to them about internet safety
I am very concerned about my child being a victim of online child sexual exploitation
I find it difficult to bring up internet safety with my child – it makes me feel uncomfortable
(Psychological Ability)
I know how to talk about internet safety with my child
I don’t know how to convince my child to talk to me about their online activity
(Automatic Motivation)
Talking about internet safety with my child makes me feel safe
Talking about internet safety with my child makes me feel good
Talking about internet safety is a habit – We just talk about it regularly
(Reflective Motivation)
Talking to my child about their online activity will protect them from child sexual exploitation
Talking to my child about their online activity is the only way to prevent them from being sexually exploited
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q18. Has your child ever come to you to discuss questionable online activity that they have experienced or have heard about from a friend/peer? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous.
[SECTION 3: PERSONAL EXPERIENCES]
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q19. Have you ever come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards your child or other youth online? Examples may include concerning comments written to a child or images being shared among peers.
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
Q21. To the best of your knowledge, has your child ever been a victim of any form of online child sexual exploitation? That is, online luring/offering a reward in exchange for something, online child pornography, forced into online prostitution, sexting and nonconsensual distribution of intimate images.
[IF YES AT Q19 OR Q21]
Q21A. If you’re comfortable doing so, can you please share with us more details about what happened?
[TEXT BOX]
Prefer not to say
[IF YES AT Q19 OR Q21]
Q20. And, what did you do? Please check all that apply.
[IF NOTHING AT Q20]
Q20A. Can you please tell us why you didn’t do anything?
[RANDOMIZE]
[IF ANY AT Q20]
Q23. And, were you satisfied with the outcome?
[IF YES AT Q21]
Q23B. And, would you say that there have been any long-lasting effects on any of the following because of the incident? Please select all that apply.
[RANDOMIZE]
[IF NO AT Q19 OR Q21]
Q24. What would you do if you came across inappropriate images/videos linked to your child’s account? Please select all that apply.
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18, IF NO AT Q19]
Q19B. To the best of your knowledge have there been any cases of online sexual exploitation in your community?
[SECTION 4: DEMOGRAPHICS]
[ALL]
Q8. How familiar are you with www.cybertip.ca and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection?
[IF VERY/SOMEWHAT FAMILIAR]
Q9. Thinking of www.cybertip.ca, have you ever…?
[GRID ROWS. RANDOMIZE]
[GRID COLUMNS]
[ASK ALL]
Q9A. Finally, would you agree to give up some of your online privacy rights in order to better protect children from sexual exploitation online. For instance, by allowing digital service providers the ability to proactively seek out child abuse material on their platforms.
[SCALE]
Our last few questions are to help group your responses.
[ASK ALL]
D1. Do you identify as any of the following…? Please select all that apply.
[ASK ALL]
D2. Where were you born?
[ASK If D2= OUTSIDE CANADA]
D3. In what year did you first move to Canada?
_ _ _ _
(ADMISSIBLE RANGE: 1900-2019)
D3B Are you an Aboriginal person, that is, First Nations (North American Indian), Métis or Inuk (Inuit)? First Nations (North American Indian) includes Status and Non-Status Indians?
[ASK ALL]
D4. What is the language you first learned at home as a child and still understand? SELECT UP TO TWO
[PARENTS OF KIDS 8-18]
D5To the best of your knowledge, does your child identify as any of the following? Please select all that apply.
Thank you for your participation. These are all the questions we have for you today. Please visit http://www.cybertip.ca, https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/victims-victimes/vsd-rsv/index.html, or http://www.kidshelpphone.ca at any time for additional resources or to report a crime.
1 Having heard about online CSE in the past 3 months
2 Parents of older children are more likely to say they "rarely/never" monitor their child's online activity. They are less likely to follow their child's social media and have their child’s social media passwords. Parents of older children are less likely to take a "hands on" approach of sitting with their child while they're online or blocking sites. Although parents of older are more likely to say they can't keep up with the technology their child is using, they are also more likely to say their child goes online "somewhere else" (outside the home or school). This is especially significant since parents of older children are significantly more likely to have witnessed inappropriate behaviour or say their child has been a victim of online CSE.
3 SUMMARY - BOT2BOX % (RATED 1/2)
4 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % (RATED 4/5)
5 DEFINED AS THOSE WHO PROVIDED A RATING OF 4 OR 5 FOR THE ATTRIBUTES “YOUR PROVINCE,” “YOUR CITY,” “YOUR NEIGHBOURHOOD”
6 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % (RATED 4/5)
7 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % (RATED 4/5)
8 SUMMARY - BOT2BOX % (RATED 1/2)
9 SEEN, READ, OR HEARD A LOT OR SOME ABOUT ONLINE CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS
10 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % (RATED 4/5)
11 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % (RATED 4/5)
12 SEEN – TOP2BOX% (A LOT/SOME)
13 RATED 4/5 ON 5 POINT SCALE
14 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % (RATED 4/5)
15 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % (RATED 4/5)
16 DEFINED AS HEARD NOT MUCH OR NOTHING AT ALL ABOUT ONLINE CSE IN THE PAST 3 MONTHS
17 DEFINED AS THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR ONLINE GEARED TOWARDS THEIR CHILD OR OTHER YOUTH
18 WEEKLY OR MORE – TOP2BOX% (WEEKLY/DAILY OR ALMOST DAILY)
19 WEEKLY OR MORE – TOP2BOX% (WEEKLY/DAILY OR ALMOST DAILY)
20 WEEKLY OR MORE – TOP2BOX% (WEEKLY/DAILY OR ALMOST DAILY)
21 DEFINED AS THOSE WHO HAVE SEEN INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR ONLINE GEARED TOWARDS THEIR CHILD OR OTHER YOUTH
22 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
23 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
24 SUMMARY - BOT2BOX % DISAGREE (RATED 1/2)
25 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
26 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
27 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
28 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
29 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
30 Parents who are aware of cybertip.ca (24% vs. 10% unaware) are more likely to feel that talking to their children about internet safety may push them away,
31 SUMMARY - TOP2BOX % AGREE (RATED 4/5)
32 FAMILIAR – TOP2BOX% (VERY/SOMEWHAT)
33 FAMILIAR – TOP2BOX% (VERY/SOMEWHAT)
34 AGREE – TOP2BOX% (RATED 4/5)