Online Child Sexual Exploitation Public Awareness Research - Survey Findings Report

Prepared for Public Safety Canada

Supplier:

Ekos Research Associates Inc.

Contract Number:

OD160-224419/001/CY

Contract Value:

$87,542.48 including HST

Award Date:

December 14, 2021

Delivery Date:

March 28, 2022

Registration Number:

POR 058-21

For more information on this report, please contact Public Services and Procurement Canada at tpsgc.questions-questions.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

This public opinion research report presents the results of an online survey conducted by Ekos Research Associates Inc. on behalf of Public Safety Canada. The research study was conducted with 1,139 members of the general public and 1,000 parents of children between the ages of 8 and 18, between January and February 2022.

Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre Recherche sur la sensibilisation du public à l'exploitation sexuelle des enfants en ligne.

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Public Safety Canada. For more information on this report, please contact Public Services and Procurement Canada at: tpsgc.questions-questions.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca or at:

Communications Branch

Public Services and Procurement Canada

Portage III Tower A

16A1-11 Laurier Street

Gatineau QC K1A 0S5

Catalogue Number:

PS18-63/1-2022E-PDF

International Standard Book Number (ISBN):

978-0-660-42524-5

Related publications (registration number: POR 130-16)

Catalogue Number:

PS18-63/1-2022F-PDF (French Report)

ISBN:

978-0-660-42526-9

© Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2022

Table of Contents

• List of Tables
• List of Charts
• Executive Summary
  1. Background and Objectives
  2. Methodology
  3. Key Findings
  4. Note to Readers
  5. Political Neutrality Certification
• Detailed Findings
  1. Understanding of OCSE
  2. Parents' Behaviour
  3. Motivations and Barriers to Discussing OCSE
  4. Personal Experience with OCSE
  5. Information Needs
  6. Familiarity with Cybertip.ca
  7. Privacy Rights Vs Protection of Children
• Appendices
  1. Methodology
  2. Survey Questionnaire

List of Tables

• Table 1: Meaning of OCSE
• Table 2: OCSE Issues
• Table 3: Source of OCSE Awareness
• Table 4: Safeguards at School (Parents)
• Table 5: Child's Social Media Sites (Parents)
• Table 6: Online Activity Discussion Topics
• Table 7: Reaction to Inappropriate Images (Parents)
• Table 8: Nature of Incident (Parents)
• Table 9: Action Taken (Parents)
• Table 10: Effects of OCSE Experience (Parents)
• Table 11: Response Rates
• Table 12: Sample Characteristics

List of Charts

• Chart 1: Attitudes towards Internet Safety
• Chart 2: Aware of Something about OCSE
• Chart 3: Consideration of OCSE as an Issue Locally, and in the Rest of the World
• Chart 4: Access to Online
• Chart 5: Monitoring Activity
• Chart 6: Safeguards
• Chart 7: Follow Child's Social Media
• Chart 8: Know Child's Password
• Chart 9: Who Child Interacts with Online
• Chart 10: Change in Monitoring Since COVID
• Chart 11: Monitoring during Virtual Learning
• Chart 12: Physical Content
• Chart 13: Social Content
• Chart 14: Psychological Ability
• Chart 15: Automatic Motivation
• Chart 16: Reflective Motivation
• Chart 17: Child Experiencing Online Sexual Exploitation
• Chart 18: Information Needed
• Chart 19: Dissemination of Information
• Chart 20: Familiarity with Cybertip.ca
• Chart 21: Use of Cybertip.ca
• Chart 22: Willingness to Trade Privacy Rights for Protection of Children

Executive Summary

A. Background and Objectives

The Government of Canada's National Strategy for the Protection of Children from Sexual Exploitation was launched in 2004 and expanded in 2009. In 2020, the Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse: Voluntary Principles was released to provide a framework to combat online sexual crimes against children and coordinate action between governments and industry partners. Canada's Criminal Code serves to protect children from all forms of child pornography, the use of the internet to lure children, from sexual contact or touching, and the procurement of children for illicit sexual activity. Public Safety (PS) Canada has been leading the National Strategy. In 2020, PS launched a multi-year public education and awareness campaign on Online Child Sexual Exploitation (OCSE). The campaign was a component of Budget 2019 that included $4.90 million over three years to support efforts to suppress OCSE . The campaign is linked to the government's priority, Protecting Children from Sexual Exploitation Online.

The objective of the current research is to track changes in awareness in the general public and among the target group of parents with children between the ages of 8 and 18 since the baseline was established in early 2020. It is also designed to measure changes in attitudes and behaviours related to online child sexual activity among parents, and through second-hand reporting, among children 8 to 18. Measurement of these changes since the start of the pandemic is particularly important given the changed environment with regard to time spent at home and in school-related learning online.

B. Methodology

The OCSE Public Awareness Research Survey was conducted online from January 14 to February 3, 2022. The survey included 1,000 Canadians aged 18 and over with at least one child between the ages of 8 and 18 and is compared with 1,139 members of the general public aged 18 and over. Each randomly recruited probability sample carries with it a margin of error of +/-3.2%. The margin of error for key segments within each sample is between +/-5% and +/-10%. The sample source is an in-house Probit panel of randomly recruited Canadians. The survey instrument was delivered online as well as by telephone and available in both official languages. The average length of the survey was 14 minutes online and 19 minutes by telephone. The overall response rate for the survey was 20%. Appendix A presents further details on the methodology for the survey.

C. Key Findings

Internet safety for children is a concern among both parents and the general public in Canada. Over two in three disagree that kids today live in a safe online environment. The majority agree 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.

About half of parents (50%) and the general public (47%) report hearing, reading, or seeing at least something about OCSE. Over four in five believe OCSE is a significant problem outside of Canada. The pattern is similar to 2020 results; over three in five feel OCSE is a problem in Canada, and half say it is a problem in their province. As jurisdictions narrow locally to their city or neighbourhood, relatively fewer perceive OCSE to be a problem.

Fewer than six in ten parents (57%) and members of the general public (53%) agree they would give up some of their online privacy rights in order to protect children from sexual exploitation online, a decrease from 66% in 2020.

Parents Behaviour

Parents outline the various ways their children are online; predominantly on a phone or tablet, home computer, school computer, or gaming system. One in three mostly or always monitor their child's online activity at home and a similar proportion rarely or never do. Among parents with children on social media, about two in three follow their child's social media at least some of the time. Monitoring is higher for younger children and decreases as they get older. Most parents (62%) report that their child interacts with friends and family only. As children get older, they are more likely to interact with friends of friends, celebrities, and parents of friends.

Parents more often talk about certain aspects of online activities with their child, including who they talk to or interact with, what they talk to others about, and what sites they are visiting. Other online activities are talked about less frequently, such as what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them uncomfortable, sending sexual images or videos online, if someone is being exploited online, privacy settings, and grooming. Some OCSE topics are never talked about by a portion of parents, such as capping, sextortion and sexting, although parents of older children are more likely to talk about these.

Motivations and Barriers to Discussions

When thinking of their ability to address OCSE with their child, nearly nine in ten parents say they feel responsible for talking to their child about internet safety, and about the same proportion disagree that they don't have time to talk to their child about their online activities. . Three in five feel they know how to talk about internet safety with their child. On the other hand, only one in seven say they keep resources about internet safety handy. One in three also feel they cannot keep up with the technology, apps and games their children are using and about the same proportion feel they do not know where to seek help about internet safety.

About half of parents agree that talking about internet safety with their child makes them feel good and makes them feel safe. Only four in ten, however, say this is a habit although this is more likely among those who have heard about OCSE, feel it's a problem locally, or have come across inappropriate behaviour.

Experience with online child sexual exploitation

Nearly half of parents report that their child has come to them to discuss questionable online activity that they have experienced or heard about from a friend or peer, and increase from 33% in 2020. Similar to 2020, one in four parents have come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards their child or other youth online. Five percent report that their child has been a victim of OCSE. Inappropriate behaviour online has affected mental health, social relationships, and performance at school or work, according to parents.

Almost all parents say the amount of time their child spends online has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over half feel that the risk posed to their child from online activities has increased. With the transition to virtual learning, under half of parents say they monitor or supervise their child during virtual learning daily or almost daily.

Information about OCSE

Only about one in four parents have ever looked for information about OCSE and how to protect their kids. In terms of information needed, most parents would like information on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of OCSE or what privacy and security measures to take. Nearly half want information on how to talk to their children about OCSE. Most parents would like to find information through an internet website or to receive information through their child's school.

Cybertip.ca

Familiarity with Cybertip.ca continues to be low, with only 12% of parents and 9% of members of the general public saying they are somewhat or very familiar with the website and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Among those who have some familiarity with cybertip.ca, more have used it to access educational resources. Relatively few have signed up for alerts or filed a report.

D. Note to Readers

Detailed findings are presented in the sections that follow. Overall results are presented in the main portion of the narrative and are typically supported by graphic or tabular presentation of results. Bulleted text is also used to point out any statistically and substantively significant differences between sub-groups of respondents. If differences are not noted in the report, it can be assumed that they are either not statistically significant^[1] in their variation from the overall result or that the difference was deemed to be substantively too small to be noteworthy.

Parents with children aged 8 and 18 are a key target group, therefore results for this segment of 1,000 are isolated throughout the report; referred to simply as "parents". The report also presents results for 1,139 members of the "general public"^[2]. Results are compared throughout the report with a similar sample collected between February 25th and March 4, 2020.

Results for the proportion of respondents in the sample who either said "don't know" or did not provide a response may not be indicated in the graphic representation of the results in all cases, particularly where they are not sizable (e.g., 10% or less). Results may also not total to 100% due to rounding. The programmed survey instrument can be found in Appendix B.

E. Political Neutrality Certification

I hereby certify as Senior Officer of Ekos Research Associates Inc. that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Policy on Communications and Federal Identity and the Directive on the Management of Communications. 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.

Signed by: Susan Galley (Vice President)

Detailed Findings

A. Understanding of OCSE

The survey began with questions designed to assess general views about the safety of the internet for children. Two in three parents (67%) and members of the general public (70%) do not agree that kids today live in a safe online environment. These results are similar, if marginally higher than those from 2020 when 63% of parents and 65% of the general public agreed. Agreement is similarly strong that providers should proactively seek out child abuse material on their platforms, even at the expense of some personal online privacy for Canadians. In this case 64% of parents and slightly fewer (59%) members of the general public agree. The results are again roughly on par with, if marginally lower than 2020 results when 68% of parents and 65% of the general public agreed.

QA. To begin, to what extent do you agree or disagree with the following statements?

Base: All respondents: Parents (n=1000); General Population (n=1139)

• Among parents and the general public more broadly, men are more likely than women to agree that kids live in a safe online environment, and disagree that digital service providers should seek out child abuse material even if it means less privacy.
• Among members of the general public, those under 35 are also more likely that those who are older to disagree that digital service providers should seek out child abuse material even if it means less privacy.

Parents and the general public more broadly most often describe OCSE in terms of pornography (25% and 26% respectively), coercing or threatening children related to sexual content or acts (25% and 23%) and luring (20%). The involvement of explicit photos, exposing children to sexual content, distribution of sexual content to children, and child abuse were also each described by 12% to 16%.

About half of parents (50%) and the general public (47%) report hearing, reading or seeing something or a lot about OCSE, although few indicated this to be "a lot". About a third have not heard very much (35% of parents and 36% of the general public) and about one in seven of each segment have not heard, read or seen anything on this topic. In 2020 results were similar among members of the general public, although slightly higher among parents, when 57% had heard, seen or read something or a lot.

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=1000); General population (n=1139)

• Parents not born in Canada are more likely to say they have heard nothing at all about OCSE. The pattern is similar although less pronounced among members of the general public.

Both parents and members of the general public have most often heard about people being caught, arrested or charged (17% ), human trafficking (parents: 11% and general public: 9%), luring (10% and 9%) that it is an ongoing (9%) or a growing problem (8% and 9%) or involved reaching out to children for explicit images (9% and 5%).

• Among parents, luring and the increasing incidence are more often noted by women than men.

Both parents and the general population have been exposed to the issue of OCSE through a variety of sources. For two in five, this is through social media (42% for each group), or television (40% and 46% respectively, but down significantly from 53% and 59% in 2020), or the internet (38% and 36%) and newspaper (34% and 38%). Fewer mention the radio (29% and 28%), friends and family (24% and 19%), school (15% of parents, and 8% of the general population) or streaming television (10% and 11%, respectively).

• Among parents, men are more likely to say they heard of OCSE through the internet or radio, while women are apt to indicate social media.
• Parents who feel OCSE is a problem in their city, or have come across inappropriate behaviour, are more likely to say they heard from friends and family, school, or a doctor's office.

A large proportion of parents and the general public see OCSE as a significant problem in the rest of the world (84% and 83%, respectively). Considerably fewer see this as a problem in Canada (60% and 58%) and in their province (55% and 51%). As the focus becomes more local, smaller and smaller proportions of parents and the general public see this as a problem (your city – 39% of parents and 36% of the public see this as an issue; and your neighbourhood – 22% and 18% respectively see this as a problem). The pattern of results was the same in 2020.

Q4. And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in...?

Base: All respondents: Parents (n=1000); General population (n=1139)

• Among both parents and the general public, women are more likely than men to indicate that OCSE is an issue in all regions measured. The disparity is largest in views about your city, province and Canada.
• Parents of a female child are apt to say OCSE is an issue in their neighbourhood.
• Both parents and members of the general public who are born in Canada are more likely than those born outside of Canada to indicate OCSE is a problem in all locations measured within Canada. Interestingly, results do not vary by province for those saying OCSE is a problem within their province.

B. Parents' Behaviour

Parents report that their children are online in various formats. Most say their child is online on a phone or tablet (91%), or at home on a computer (85%). Three in four (76%) report that their child is online at school through a computer or tablet and half (57%) are online at home on a gaming system. One in five (22%) said their child generally goes online somewhere else, which is down notably from 44% two years ago although in other areas results are very similar to 2020.

Q10. Does your child go online...?

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents of children under age 14 are more likely to say their child goes online on a school computer or tablet. Parents of older children tend to report online activity on a home computer, phone or tablet, or somewhere else.
• Parents of male children are more likely to say their child is online at home on a gaming system.

Just under one in ten (8%) parents say they always monitor their child's activity when they are online at home, while another 26% say they mostly monitor their activity. The largest proportion of parents (35%) monitor "sometimes". One in four (24%) rarely monitor their child's activity online at home and 7% say they never do. Parents appear to be monitoring online activity less since 2020, with more indicating they rarely or never monitor activity (31%, up from 19% in 2020).

Q11. And, when your child is online at home, to what extent would you say you are monitoring their activity?

Base: Parents (n=926)

• Parents of younger children are more likely to say they always or mostly monitor their child's activity online; parents of older children are more likely to say they rarely or never do.
• Parents with a high school education are more likely to say they always monitor their child's activity.

Parents were asked what safeguards, if any, they take to monitor their child's online activities at home. Over two in five say they check their browser history (43%) or keep the computer in a common room (43%). Both are down from 2020 when 57% and 54% were reported, respectively. One in three (33%) parents reports that they block websites, while 24% say they sit with their child when they are online and 21% educate or have discussions with their child.

Q12. And, what safeguards, if any, do you take to monitor your child's online activities at home?

Base: Parents (n=871)

• Parents of younger children tend to report more of these safeguards, including checking browser history, keeping the computer in a common room, blocking sites, and sitting with them while online. Parents of older children are more likely by comparison to say they have general discussions with their child, or that they do not take any safeguards.
• Parents who have come across inappropriate behaviour online are more likely to say they check their child's browser history.

Nearly half (45%) of parents are unsure of what safeguards are in place at their child's school. Over one in three (37%) report that there are website or WiFi blockers in place, while 13% indicate that there is supervision or monitoring of their child's online activity while at school. Results for these two safeguards are higher than reported in 2020 at 22% and 6%, respectively.

Two in five parents indicate that they follow their child on social media, either on all of their accounts (21%), or on some (20%). One in five says they do not follow their child's social media. Nearly two in five (39%) report that their child does not use social media, down from 29% in 2020.

Q14a. Do you "follow" your child on social media?

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents of younger children are more likely to say their child does not use social media. Those with older children are apt to say they do not follow their child on social media or that they do on some of their accounts.
• Parents of female children are more likely to say they follow their child on all or some of their accounts. Male children are reported by parents to be less likely to use social media.
• Those who have come across inappropriate behaviour are more likely to say they follow their child on all their accounts.

Among parents of children who use social media, 30% say they know the passwords to all their accounts and another 26% know the passwords to some of the accounts. Over two in five (44%) parents report that they do not know the passwords for their child's social media accounts which is higher than the 35% reported in 2020.

Q14b. [IF YES] And, do you know the passwords for their accounts?

Base: Parents of children (8-18) who use social media (n=599)

• Parents of younger children are apt to know the passwords for all accounts; parents of older children more likely to say they don't know their child's password.

Parents most often reported interaction on Instagram (60%), TikTok (52%) and Snapchat (51%), followed by YouTube (43%), Facebook (36%) and Minecraft (34%). Fortnite (23%) and other video games (26%) were also reported quite often. Compared with 2020, TikTok has gained considerable popularity, as have both Instagram and Snapchat, whereas YouTube is less popular than in 2020.

Most (62%) parents of children who are online say that their child interacts only with friends and family. Just under one in three (31%) indicate that their child may interact with friends of friends online, and 21% report their child interacts with strangers. Fewer report their children interacting with other individuals online. The proportion of those interacting with friends of friends, and strangers, has increased since 2020 (25% and 12%, respectively).

Q16. And, who does your child interact with online? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous. [Select all that apply]

Base: Parents whose children interact online (n=599)

• Parents of younger children are more likely to say their child interacts with friends and family only. Parents of older children are apt to identify friends of friends, celebrities and influencers, and parents of friends.
• Parents who have come across inappropriate behaviour are more likely to say their child interacts with strangers, friends of friends, celebrities and influencers, and parents of friends.

In a new set of questions in 2022, almost all parents (90%) report the amount of time their child spends online to have increased since the start of COVID, and no one says it has decreased. The risk posed to children has increased according to half of parents (53%), while 41% say it has remained the same. One in four (28%) report an increase in supervision, although half say it is the same and 22% say it has decreased since the start of COVID.

QC1a. How have the following changed since the start of COVID in March 2020?

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Among parents, women are more likely than men to say the amount of time their child spends online and the risk posed for their child has increased, while also reporting that the amount of supervision their child gets during personal online activities has decreased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under half (44%) of parents say they monitor or supervise their child during virtual learning daily or almost daily. One in five (19%) monitors a few times a week. About one-quarter monitor once a week or less. One in ten (11%) parents indicates they never monitor their child during virtual learning.

QC2. How much monitoring or supervision have you done for your child during virtual learning?

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents of younger children are more likely to say they monitor their child's virtual learning daily or almost daily. Parents of older children are apt to report they monitor once a month or less, or never.

Parents more often (daily or weekly) talk about certain aspects of online activities with their child, including who they talk to or interact with (45%), what they talk to others about (40%), and what sites they are visiting (38%). Other online activities are talked about less frequently (a couple of times a month or less), such as what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them uncomfortable (67%), sending sexual images or videos online (60%), if someone is being exploited online (54%), privacy settings (54%), and grooming (52%). Some OCSE topics are never talked about by a high portion of parents, such as capping (57%), sextortion (48%) and sexting (44%). Results are lower in many areas when compared to 2020, particularly discussions about privacy settings, sexting, sextortion, sending sexual images or videos online, what to do if asked to do something uncomfortable, or if someone is being exploited online.

• Parents of younger children are more likely to report talking to their child frequently about what sites they are visiting, who they talk with, and what they talk to others about. Parents of older children are more likely to have talked to their child, although infrequently, about sexting, sextortion, sending sexual images or videos online, grooming, and capping.
• Female parents are more likely than male parents to say they frequently discuss what sites their child is visiting, privacy settings, who they talk to online, what they talk to others about, and what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them uncomfortable. While still infrequent, male parents are more likely to have talked to their child once a month or less about capping, while females are apt to say they have never talked to their child about capping.
• Parents who have heard a lot about OCSE are more likely to have talked to their child about most online activities measured.

C. Motivations and Barriers to Discussing OCSE

Parents were asked to agree or disagree with a number of statements related to their ability to address OCSE. Results for the first set of statements suggest that time for discussions is not a barrier. Knowing where to look for help about internet safety and keeping up with technology, however, pose a significant challenge for many parents and relatively few parents have relevant information about internet safety on hand. The large majority of parents (87%) feel they have time to talk with their child about their online activities, which has increased since 2020 when it was 79%. One in three feel that they cannot keep up with technology including apps and games their child is using and another 21% are more neutral, which is similar to 2020 results. Only four in ten (42%) agree that they know where to go to seek help about internet safety, whereas half either disagree (30%) or are more neutral (28%). Six in ten (62%) do not keep information about internet safety; higher than in 2020.

Q17ba-d. 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.

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents who have heard about OCSE, or come across inappropriate behaviour, are more likely to agree they know where to seek help about internet safety or they keep information/resources handy.

Almost all parents (90%) agree they are responsible for talking with their child about internet safety, which is marginally higher than in 2020 at 85%. Three in four (73%) also agree that their child would be comfortable turning to them for advice, which is about the same as in 2020. On the other hand, only half of parents (47%) say their child expects to talk with them about this issue (43% in 2020).

As in 2020, only one in four (27%) say they are very concerned about their child becoming a victim, although half (47%) disagree. The large majority of parents (82%) say they do not worry that speaking with their child on this issue will push them away or that it is difficult to bring up the subject, which is on par with 2020 results.

Q17be-j. 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.

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents not born in Canada are more likely to agree that they worry that talking about internet safety with their child will push them away, and they are very concerned about their child being a victim.
• Parents of younger children are more likely to agree that they feel responsible for talking to their child about internet safety, their child expects them to talk about internet safety, that their child would feel comfortable turning to them for advice, or that they are very concerned about their child being a victim.
• Parents of a female child are more likely to agree they are very concerned about their child being a victim of OCSE.
• Parents who have heard about OCSE, feel it's a problem in their city, or came across inappropriate behaviour are apt to agree that their child expects them to talk to them about internet safety or that they are very concerned about their child being a victim.

More than one in three parents do not feel prepared to have discussions about OCSE. Only six in ten parents (61%) feel they know how to talk to their child about Internet safety. About the same proportion (64%) say they know how to convince their child to talk with them about their online activity. Results are on par with 2020.

Q17bk-i. 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.

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents not born in Canada are more likely to agree that they don't know how to convince their child to talk to them about online activity.

Similar barriers exist when it comes to parents' own personal motivation. Only half (51%) of parents agree that talking about internet safety with their child makes them feel good, and this has dropped since 2020 when it was 63%. Fewer than half (47%) report that it makes them feel safe, which is also lower than in 2020, at 58%. Only four in ten (43%) say it regular habit to engage in these conversations, as was the case in 2020.

Q17bm-o. 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.

Base: Parents (n=939)

• Female parents are more likely than make parents to agree with all three statements.
• Parents who have heard about OCSE, feel it's a problem in their city, or have come across inappropriate behaviour are more likely to agree that talking about internet safety is a habit.

Close to six in ten (57%) of parents agree that talking to their child about their online activity will protect them from OCSE, which is slightly higher than the 51% found in 2002, although 15% disagree and 27% are neutral. Also like 2020, only 32% of parents agree that it is the only form of prevention, while 42% disagree.

Q17bp-q. 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.

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents of younger children are more likely to agree with both statements.
• Parents who have heard about OCSE are more likely to agree that talking to their child about online activity will protect them from OCSE.
• Parents who were not born in Canada are more apt to agree that talking to their child about their online activity is the only way to prevent them from being sexually exploited.

The vast majority of parents (89%) say they would talk to their child if they were to come across inappropriate images or videos linked to their child's account. Three in four (77%) would report it to the police. About half would report it to the online platform (56%), the school (50%), or seek counselling or therapy for their child (46%). In 2022, more parents said they were likely to report inappropriate images to the online platform (38% in 2020) or seek counselling for their child (33% in 2020).

• Among parents, women are more likely to say they would report it to www.cybertip.ca, seek counselling for themselves or their child, or seek support from other adults and family members. Men parents tend to say that they would confront the person who interacted with their child.

D. Personal Experience with OCSE

Nearly half of parents (47%) report that their child has come to them to discuss questionable online activity that they have experienced or heard about from a friend or peer, an increase from 33% in 2020. To the best of their knowledge, 22% of parents indicate that there have been cases of OCSE in their community. Over half (53%) say there have been no cases that they know of, and another 25% are not sure or prefer not to answer. As reported in 2020, one in four (26%) parents has come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards their child or other youth online.

In their own household, 5% of parents report that their child has been a victim of OCSE (similar to 4% in 2020).

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 non-consensual distribution of intimate images.

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Parents with a high school or less education are more likely to say their child has been a victim of OCSE.
• Those who have heard about OCSE, feel it's a problem in their city, or are the parent of a female, or of an older child are all more likely to report that their child has been a victim of OCSE.

Specifically, these parents share that children watched, heard or received sexual or offensive material (26%), were a victim of cyber bullying (13%) or were asked about or offered to engage in inappropriate (e.g., sexual) material (10%). Fewer described use of inappropriate language or had conversations about inappropriate behaviour (7%). Results are similar to those gathered in 2020, although the incidence of offensive material and cyber bullying seems marginally higher in 2022.

Mostly, these parents talked to their child (66%) about the inappropriate behaviour. Some parents say they reported it to the school (23%), sought support from other adults (16%), reported it to the police (13%), reported it to the online platform (11%), or sought counselling or therapy for their child (11%). Most (64%) were satisfied with the outcome. Fewer parents indicate they talked to their child than reported in 2020 at 80%.

• Parents born in Canada are more likely to have reported it to the police, while parents born outside of Canada tend to say they deleted the app or blocked the user.

Although one in three (33%) parents indicates there were not long-standing effects because of the OCSE incident, many other effects are noted by parents. Nearly half (49%) say there has been effects on their child's mental health or self esteem. About one in three report long-standing effects on their child's social relationships and friendships (37%), or performance at school or work (36%), and about the same proportion point to an impact on their own mental health (36%). Each of these seems to be increased from 2020, although this should be interpreted with caution since there are small samples sizes in both time periods.

E. Information Needs

Only about one in four (27%) parents has ever looked for information about OCSE and how to protect their kids. In terms of information needed, the majority of parents would like information on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of online sexual exploitation (59%) or privacy and security measures to be taken (55%). Just under half (47%) would like information on how to talk to their children about OCSE. Roughly one in three parents would like information on resources and help lines (39%), laws (35%) or who is most at risk (31%). Each information need was reported by fewer parents in 2020, particularly recognition of signs and symptoms (59% vs. 71% in 2020).

Q17ab. What information would you like to have to help better protect your child from online sexual exploitation? [Select all that apply]

Base: Parents (n=1000)

• Among parents, women are more likely than men to have looked for information.
• Those who have heard a lot about OCSE, feel it's a problem in their city, have come across inappropriate behaviour, or encountered OCSE in their community are more likely to have looked for information.

Most parents would like to find information through an internet website (71%) or to receive information through their child's school (61%). About two in five would like information through social media (39%), or a pamphlet or brochure in the mail (38%). Other notable methods include receiving information at a doctor's office (23%), or from friends and family (18%). Most preferred information sources reported are similar or somewhat lower to 2020, most notably the interest in receiving information in the mail, down from 48% in 2020.

Q17ac. And where would you like to receive or find this information?

Base: Parents who have looked for information (n=863)

• Parents not born in Canada are more likely to prefer information through the school, a pamphlet in the mail, or a doctor's office.

F. Familiarity with Cybertip.ca

Familiarity with Cybertip.ca is very low, with only 12% of parents and 9% of members of the general public saying they are somewhat or very familiar with it. In fact, 66% of parents and 72% of the general public have no familiarity with it at all. These results are similar to the snapshot taken in 2020.

Q8. How familiar are you with www.cybertip.ca and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection?

Base: All respondents: Parents (n=1000); General population (n=1139)

• Parents and members of the general public living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba are more likely to say they are somewhat or very familiar. This is also true of parents in Alberta. Both parents and other residents of Quebec are apt to say they are not at all familiar.

Among the relatively few parents and members of the general public with some familiarity with cybertip.ca, more have used it to access educational resources (29% of parents and 17% of the general public). Relatively few have signed up for alerts (9% and 8%, respectively) or filed a report (5% each).

Q9a-c. Thinking of www.cybertip.ca, have you ever...?

Base: All Respondents: Parents (n=127); General Population (n=101)

G. Privacy Rights vs Protection of Children

Fewer than six in ten parents (57%) and members of the general public (53%) would agree to give up some of their online privacy rights in order to protect children from OCSE, which is lower than found in 2020 at 66%. More than one in five of each segment disagrees, which is also considerably higher than 9% from 2020. Interestingly, parents show limited greater willingness than the general public to make this trade.

Q9aa. Finally, would you agree to give up some of your online privacy rights (i.e., the protection of your online communications or other data you provide online) in order to better protect children from sexual exploitation online?

Base: All Respondents: Parents (n=1000); General Population (n=1139)

• Among both parents and the general public, women are typically more willing than men to give up some privacy to better protect children online.
• Among members of the general public, those under 35 are least likely to agree, while those 55 or older are most likely to agree.
• Those parents and members of the broader public who have heard about CSE and consider it to be a problem in their own city are also more likely than their counterparts to agree.

Appendices

A. Methodology

Sample Source

The survey sample was drawn from our randomly recruited panel Probit. Probit panellists were selected using a random-digit dial (RDD) landline-cell phone hybrid sample frame. This is the same sample frame and sampling process used to conduct telephone surveys, which are considered to be representative of the population1. Once selected, they are contacted and recruited by telephone and asked to complete a basic profile (i.e., base survey instrument) including a range of demographic information about themselves. They are also asked if they would prefer to complete surveys online or by telephone. All sample members are eligible to participate, including those with cell phones only, those with no Internet access and those who simply prefer to respond by telephone rather than online. This panel represents a fully representative sample of Canadians, from which we can draw random samples and collect data in a more cost conscious and timely manner than would otherwise be possible in a traditional telephone survey. This panel of more than 120,000 individuals can be considered representative of the general public in Canada (meaning that the incidence of a given target population within our panel very closely resembles the public at large) and margins of error can be applied.

Testing and Administration

Prior to conducting the survey, the instrument was tested with 21 cases in English and 17 cases in French. Additional questions were placed on the pretest version of the questionnaire asking about length, flow, clarity of wording and so on to elicit feedback from respondents. Minimal changes were made as a result of the testing, although a few questions were removed in order to stay within the intended survey length.

The survey was administered between January 14 and February 3, 2022, using a bilingual questionnaire, installed on a secure web-server controlled by Ekos. The email invitation included a description and purpose of the survey (in both languages) along with a link to the survey website. The survey database was mounted using a Personalized Identification Number (PIN), so only individuals with a PIN were allowed access to the survey (the PIN was included in the email invitation). The questionnaire was prefaced with a brief introduction to the study and rationale for the research. The voluntary and confidential nature of the survey was also emphasized. Survey data collection adhered to all applicable industry standards. All invited panel members were informed of their rights under current Privacy legislation, as well as how to obtain a copy of their response and results of the survey.

As shown below the average response rate overall across the 10,398 cases is 19.9%. It is 20.5% among Probit sample members who completed the survey online and 19.4% among those who completed the survey by telephone, including the cases completed or ineligible divided by the valid sample of 10,227 for online and telephone sample combined, as noted in the table below.

Respondents were informed in the invitation that all responses are completely confidential and no responses will be linked to individual names.

The database was reviewed following data collection for data quality, outliers, coding requirements, weighting and construction of independent variables, and was used to explore sub-group patterns (e.g., by age, gender and so on) in the analysis. Weighting of the sample was based on population parameters according to the latest Census on age, gender and region of the country for each of the general public and parents of children 8 to 18.

Sample Characteristics

The following table presents a sample profile for the survey.

B. Survey Questionnaire

Online Introduction

Thank-you for participating in this survey. Ekos Research Associates, a Canadian public opinion research company is conducting the survey on behalf of Public Safety Canada about children's safety when online. Si vous préférez répondre au sondage en français, veuillez cliquer sur français. Your participation is optional and your responses will be kept entirely confidential and anonymous. The survey takes 15 minutes to complete. It is being directed by Ekos Research, and is being administered according to the requirements of the Privacy Act. To view our privacy policy, click here. If you require any technical assistance, please contact online@ekos.com.

Telephone Introduction

Good morning/afternoon/evening, Bonjour, May I speak with [name of respondent]? My name is [name of interviewer] and I am calling from Ekos Research Associates, a public opinion research company. We are conducting a study on behalf of Public Safety Canada on the topic of children's safety when involved in online activities. Would you prefer to be interviewed in English or French?/Préférez-vous répondre en français ou en anglais? Your participation is voluntary and your responses will be kept entirely confidential and anonymous. This survey is being directed by Ekos Research, and is being administered according to the requirements of the Privacy Act.

If asked length: The survey will take about 15 minutes to complete

If asked client: I can tell you at the end who sponsored this survey

If asked: This survey is registered with the Canadian Research Insights Council's (CRIC) Research Verification Service. Visit https://canadianresearchinsightscouncil.ca/rvs/home/?lang=en if you wish to verify its authenticity (project code 20220112-EK029).

• Continue: 1
• Refuse (Thank & terminate): 9

Privacy

This call may be recorded for quality control or training purposes.

QSEX

The following questions will be used for statistical purposes only. What is your gender?

• Male: 1
• Female: 2
• Other: 77
• Prefer not to answer: 99

QAGEX

In what year were you born?

• Year: 77
• Prefer not to answer: 99

QAGEY

May we place your age into one of the following general age categories?

• 18-24 years: 1
• 25-34 years: 2
• 35-44 years: 3
• 45-54 years: 4
• 55-64 years: 5
• 65 years or older: 6
• Prefer not to say: 99

QAA

To begin, to what extent do you agree/disagree with the statements below? [Phone]

On a scale where 1 is strongly disagree, 3 is neither agree nor disagree and 5 is strongly agree.

Kids today live in a safe online environment

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

QAB

To begin, to what extent do you agree/disagree with the statements below? [Phone]

On a scale where 1 is strongly disagree, 3 is neither agree nor disagree and 5 is strongly agree.

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

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q1 [1,3]

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.

• Please specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q2A

In fact, online child sexual exploitation refers to any of the following:

• Offering a reward to a child in exchange for an online sexual favour
• Online child pornography
• Offering up or obtaining a child for sexual activity, including prostitution
• Sexting (sending sexually explicit photographs or messages via a mobile phone)
• Sextortion (extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity)
• Grooming (someone builds trust with a child, and sometimes the adults around them, to gain access to and control the child by normalizing certain behaviours and expectations)
• Capping (someone, typically an adult, records or screenshots boys and girls they target on various video streaming platforms or applications getting naked or engaging in sexual activities — often without the victim knowing)
• Distribution of intimate images without permission
• Adults who travel and connect with kids through online platforms to get sexual favours

How much have you seen, read or heard about online child sexual exploitation as an issue in the past three months?

[Phone] Would you say a lot, some, not much or nothing at all?

• A lot: 1
• Some: 2
• Not much: 3
• Nothing at all: 4
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q3 [1,3]

What have you heard about online child sexual exploitation as an issue? Please be as specific as possible.

• Please specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q3B [1,18]

And, where did you hear this?

[Phone] Prompt only if needed> Please select all that apply.

• Doctor's office: 1
• School: 2
• Friends/family: 3
• Cinema: 4
• Social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc.): 5
• Internet website: 6
• Magazines: 7
• Newspaper: 8
• Outdoor billboards: 9
• Pamphlet or brochure in the mail: 10
• Public transit (bus or subway): 11
• Radio: 12
• Streaming radio (Spotify etc.): 13
• Television: 14
• Streaming television (Netflix etc.): 15
• Other, specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q4A

And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in...?

[Phone]

On a scale where 1 is no problem at all and 5 is a very big problem.

Your neighbourhood

• Not a problem at all 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Very big problem 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q4B

And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in...? [Phone]

On a scale where 1 is no problem at all and 5 is a very big problem.

Your city

• Not a problem at all 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Very big problem 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q4C

And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in...? [Phone]

On a scale where 1 is no problem at all and 5 is a very big problem.

Your province

• Not a problem at all 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Very big problem 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q4D

And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in...? [Phone]

On a scale where 1 is no problem at all and 5 is a very big problem.

Canada

• Not a problem at all 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Very big problem 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q4E

And, how big of an issue do you think online child sexual exploitation is in...? [Phone]

On a scale where 1 is no problem at all and 5 is a very big problem.

The rest of the world

• Not a problem at all 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Very big problem 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

QCHILD

Do you have any children aged 8 to 18 currently living in your household? If so, how many?

• Yes, please specify: 1
• No: 2
• Prefer not to answer: 9

Q5

Now some questions about discussions you may have had with your child/children age 8-18. [AQCHILD <= 2]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.

Q5A

Child's age:

• Please specify: 999
• 8: 8
• 9: 9
• 10: 10
• 11: 11
• 12: 12
• 13: 13
• 14: 14
• 15: 15
• 16: 16
• 17: 17
• 18: 18
• Prefer not to answer: 99

Q5B

Child's gender:

• Please specify: 999
• Male: 1
• Female: 2
• Other: 3
• Prefer not to answer: 99

PQ10

Thank you again for taking the time to answer this very important survey to help ensure the safety of all Canadians. As a reminder, you can opt out of the survey at any time.

Q10A

Thank you again for taking the time to answer this very important survey to help ensure the safety of all Canadians. As a reminder, you can opt out of the survey at any time. Does your child go online... [Phone] (Read each one and accept Yes/No for each)

At home on a computer

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q10B

Thank you again for taking the time to answer this very important survey to help ensure the safety of all Canadians. As a reminder, you can opt out of the survey at any time. Does your child go online... [Phone] (Read each one and accept Yes/No for each)

At home on a gaming system

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q10C

Thank you again for taking the time to answer this very important survey to help ensure the safety of all Canadians. As a reminder, you can opt out of the survey at any time. Does your child go online... [Phone] (Read each one and accept Yes/No for each)

On a phone or tablet

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q10D

Thank you again for taking the time to answer this very important survey to help ensure the safety of all Canadians. As a reminder, you can opt out of the survey at any time. Does your child go online... [Phone] (Read each one and accept Yes/No for each)

On a school computer or tablet

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q10E

Thank you again for taking the time to answer this very important survey to help ensure the safety of all Canadians. As a reminder, you can opt out of the survey at any time. Does your child go online... [Phone] (Read each one and accept Yes/No for each)

Somewhere else

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

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.

[Phone] Would you say always, mostly, sometimes, rarely or never?

• Always: 1
• Mostly: 2
• Sometimes: 3
• Rarely: 4
• Never: 5
• Prefer not to answer: 9

Q12 [1,7]

And, what safeguards, if any, do you take to monitor your child's online activities at home?

[Phone] Prompt if necessary. Please select all that apply.

• Block sites: 1
• Sit with them when they're online: 2
• Keep the computer in a common room: 3
• Check browser history: 4
• Other, specify: 77
• None: 98
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q13 [1,3]

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.

• Please specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q14A

Do you "follow" your child on social media?

[Phone] (If yes, clarify whether on some or all accounts)

• Yes on all of their accounts: 1
• Yes on some of their accounts: 2
• No: 3
• My child does not use social media: 4
• Prefer not to answer: 9

Q14B

And, do you know the passwords for their account(s)?

• Yes, all: 1
• Yes, some: 2
• No: 3
• Prefer not to answer: 9

Q15 [1,21]

To the best of your knowledge, on which site does your child interact with others through social media, gaming, or other internet sites?

[Phone] Prompt if necessary. Please select all that apply.

• YouTube: 1
• Instagram: 2
• Snapchat: 3
• Twitter: 4
• Facebook: 5
• Fortnite: 6
• KIK: 7
• Minecraft: 8
• Grand Theft Auto: 9
• League of Legends: 10
• Overwatch: 11
• Other video games: 12
• Reddit: 13
• TikTok: 14
• Twitch: 15
• Wattpad: 16
• Whatsapp: 17
• VSCO: 18
• Other, specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q16 [1,5]

And, who does your child interact with online? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous.

[Phone] Read list and accept each one as you read. Please select all that apply.

• Friends/family only: 1
• Strangers: 2
• Popular celebrities/influencers (YouTube stars, professional gamers, etc.): 3
• Friends of friends: 4
• Parents of friends: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q17A

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

What sites they are visiting

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17B

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

Privacy settings

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17C

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

Who they talk to/interact with

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17D

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

What they talk to others about

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17E

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

Sexting

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17F

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

Sextortion (extorting money or sexual favors from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity)

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17G

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

Sending sexual images or videos online

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17H

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

Grooming (someone builds trust with a child, and sometimes the adults around them, to gain access to and control the child by normalizing certain behaviours and expectations)

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17I

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

Capping (someone, typically an adult, records or screenshots boys and girls they target on various video streaming platforms or applications getting naked or engaging in sexual activities — often without the victim knowing)

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17J

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

What to do if they are asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17K

How often do you discuss each of the following online activities with your child? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

What to do if they know of someone being exploited online

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• Weekly: 2
• A couple times a month: 3
• Once a month or less often: 4
• Never: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17AA

Have you ever looked for information about online Child Sexual Exploitation and how to protect your kids?

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17AB [1,10]

What information would you like to have to help better protect your child from online sexual exploitation?

[Phone] Prompt if necessary. Please select all that apply.

• Who is most at risk: 1
• How to recognize sign/symptoms: 2
• The effects on victims: 3
• Laws: 4
• Privacy and security measures: 5
• How to talk to your kids: 6
• Resources and help lines: 7
• Other, specify: 77
• None: 98
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q17AC [1,9]

And where would you like to receive or find this information?

[Phone] Prompt if necessary. Please select all that apply.

• Doctor's office: 1
• School: 2
• Friends/family: 3
• Social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, etc.): 4
• Internet website: 5
• Pamphlet or brochure in the mail: 6
• Other, specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q17BA

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.

I know where to go to seek help about Internet safety

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BB

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.

I don't have time to talk to my child about their online activities

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BC

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.

I keep information/resources about internet safety handy

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BD

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.

I can't keep up with technology/apps/games that my child is using

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BE

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.

I worry that talking about internet safety with my child will push them away

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BF

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.

My child would feel comfortable turning to me/partner if they needed advice regarding their online activities

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BG

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.

I feel that I am responsible for talking to my child about internet safety

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BH

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.

My child expects me to talk to them about internet safety

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BI

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.

I am very concerned about my child being a victim of online child sexual exploitation

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BJ

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.

I find it difficult to bring up internet safety with my child – it makes me feel uncomfortable

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BK

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.

I know how to talk about internet safety with my child

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BL

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.

I don't know how to convince my child to talk to me about their online activity

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BM

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.

Talking about internet safety with my child makes me feel safe

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BN

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.

Talking about internet safety with my child makes me feel good

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BO

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.

Talking about internet safety is a habit – We just talk about it regularly

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BP

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.

Talking to my child about their online activity will protect them from child sexual exploitation

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q17BQ

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.

Talking to my child about their online activity is the only way to prevent them from being sexually exploited

• Strongly disagree 1: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• Strongly agree 5: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

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.

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

QC1A

How have the following changed since the start of COVID in March 2020? [Phone] Would you say it... (read list)

The amount of time your child spends online, including for remote learning, communications with friends and family, and personal activities

• Decreased a lot since COVID: 1
• Decreased a little since COVID: 2
• The same as before COVID: 3
• Increased a little since COVID: 4
• Increased a lot since COVID: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

QC1B

How have the following changed since the start of COVID in March 2020? [Phone] Would you say it... (read list)

The amount of monitoring or supervision your child gets during personal online activities (i.e. social media platforms, video gaming, applications, etc.)

• Decreased a lot since COVID: 1
• Decreased a little since COVID: 2
• The same as before COVID: 3
• Increased a little since COVID: 4
• Increased a lot since COVID: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

QC1C

How have the following changed since the start of COVID in March 2020? [Phone] Would you say it... (read list)

The risk posed for your child from online activities

• Decreased a lot since COVID: 1
• Decreased a little since COVID: 2
• The same as before COVID: 3
• Increased a little since COVID: 4
• Increased a lot since COVID: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

QC2

How much monitoring or supervision have you done for your child during virtual learning? [Phone] Would you say... (read list)

• Daily or almost daily: 1
• A few times a week: 2
• Once a week: 3
• A couple times a month: 4
• Once a month or less often: 5
• Never: 6
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

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.

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

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.

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q21A [1,3]

If you're comfortable doing so, can you please share with us more details about what happened?

• Please specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q20 [1,12]

And, what did you do?

[Phone] Read list and accept yes/no for each one. Please select all that apply.

• Reported it to the police: 1
• Reported it to the School: 2
• Reported it to www.cybertip.ca: 3
• Reported it to the online platform (e.g. Instagram, YouTube, etc.): 4
• Talked to my child: 5
• Confronted the person who interacted with my child: 6
• Sought support from other adults/family members: 7
• Sought counselling/therapy for my child: 8
• Sought counselling/therapy for myself: 9
• Other, specify: 77
• I did not do anything 98

Q20A [1,12]

Can you please tell us why you didn't do anything?

[Phone] Prompt if necessary. Please select all that apply.

• My child asked me not to: 1
• Religious reasons: 2
• Cultural reasons: 3
• I was too embarrassed: 4
• I didn't know it was illegal: 5
• I didn't want people to know: 6
• I didn't think anyone would believe us: 7
• I didn't want to make a big deal about it: 8
• I didn't think it would matter: 9
• Other, specify: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q23 [1,3]

And, were you satisfied with the outcome?

• Yes: 1
• No, why not: 77
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q23B [1,12]

And, would you say that there have been any long-lasting effects on any of the following because of the incident?

[Phone] Read list and accept yes/no for each one. Please select all that apply.

• Family relationships: 1
• Your child's social relationships/friendships: 2
• Your social relationships/friendships: 3
• Your child's performance at school or work: 4
• Your performance at school or work: 5
• Your child's mental health or self esteem: 6
• Your mental health: 7
• Your child's physical health: 8
• Your physical health: 9
• Other, specify: 77
• None: 98
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q24 [1,12]

What would you do if you came across inappropriate images/videos linked to your child's account?

[Phone] Read list and accept yes/no for each one. Please select all that apply.

• Report it to the police: 1
• Report it to the School: 2
• Report it to www.cybertip.ca: 3
• Report it to the online platform (e.g. Instagram, YouTube, etc.): 4
• Talk to my child: 5
• Confront the person who interacted with my child: 6
• Seek support from other adults/family members: 7
• Seek counselling/therapy for my child: 8
• Seek counselling/therapy for myself: 9
• Other, specify: 77
• Nothing 98
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 99

Q19B

To the best of your knowledge have there been any cases of online sexual exploitation in your community?

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q8

How familiar are you with www.cybertip.ca and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection? [Phone] Would you say you are ... (read list)

• Very familiar: 1
• Somewhat familiar: 2
• Not very familiar: 3
• Not at all familiar: 4
• Never heard of it: 5

Q9A

Thinking of www.cybertip.ca, have you ever...

Filed a report

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q9B

Thinking of www.cybertip.ca, have you ever...

Signed up for alerts

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q9C

Thinking of www.cybertip.ca, have you ever...

Accessed/downloaded educational resources

• Yes: 1
• No: 2
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

Q9AA

Finally, would you agree to give up some of your online privacy rights (i.e., the protection of your online communications or other data you provide online) 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. [Phone] Would you say you ... (read list)

• 1 Strongly disagree: 1
• 2: 2
• 3: 3
• 4: 4
• 5 Strongly agree: 5
• Don't know / Prefer not to answer: 9

D1 [1,6]

Our last few questions are to help group your responses. Do you identify as any of the following...?

[Phone] Read list and accept yes/no for each one. Please select all that apply.

• A racialized minority: 1
• Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, or Metis): 2
• A person with a learning disability (learning, memory or development impairment that limits daily activities): 3
• A person with a mental illness that limits daily activities: 4
• A person with a physical disability (long-term or recurring impairment such as vision, hearing, mobility, memory that limits daily activities): 5
• LGBTQ2 (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirited): 6
• None of the above: 98
• Prefer not to answer: 99

D5 [1,6]

To the best of your knowledge, does your child identify as any of the following?

[Phone] Read list and accept yes/no for each one. Please select all that apply.

• A racialized minority: 1
• Indigenous (First Nation, Inuit, or Metis): 2
• A person with a learning disability (learning, memory or development impairment that limits daily activities): 3
• A person with a mental illness that limits daily activities: 4
• A person with a physical disability (long-term or recurring impairment such as vision, hearing, mobility, memory that limits daily activities): 5
• LGBTQ2 (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, two-spirited): 6
• None of the above: 98
• Prefer not to answer: 99

QEDUC

What is the highest level of schooling that you have completed?

[Phone] Prompt if necessary.

• Less than High School diploma or equivalent: 1
• High School diploma or equivalent: 2
• Registered Apprenticeship or other trades certificate or diploma: 3
• College, CEGEP or other non-university certificate or diploma: 4
• University certificate or diploma below bachelor's level: 5
• Bachelor's degree: 6
• Post graduate degree above bachelor's level: 7
• Prefer not to answer: 99

D2

Where were you born?

[Phone] Prompt if necessary.

• Born in Canada: 1
• Born outside Canada: 77
• Prefer not to answer: 99

D3

In what year did you first move to Canada?

• Please specify: 77
• Prefer not to answer: 99

D4 [1,2]

What is the language you first learned at home as a child and still understand?

Select up to two

• English: 1
• French: 2
• Other language, specify: 77
• Prefer not to answer: 99

Thank You

Thank you for your participation. These are all the questions we have for you today. Please visit http://www.canada.ca/child-exploitation, 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.

THNK2

Thank you very much for your interest in completing this survey. Unfortunately you are not eligible for this survey.