Online Child Sexual Exploitation Public Awareness Campaign - Survey Findings Report

Prepared for Public Safety Canada

Supplier:

Ekos Research Associates Inc.

Contract Number:

CW2320841

Contract Value:

$90,239.54 including HST

Award Date:

June 06, 2023

Delivery Date:

October 31, 2023

Registration Number:

POR 022-23

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 1,199 members of the general public and 1,015 parents of children between the ages of 8 and 18, in September 2023.

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:

PS18-63/2023E-PDF

International Standard Book Number (ISBN):

978-0-660-68490-1

Related publications

Registration number:

POR 022-23

Catalogue Number:

PS18-63/2023F-PDF (French Report)

ISBN:

978-0-660-68491-8

© His Majesty the King in Right of Canada, as represented by the Minister of Public Works and Government Services, 2023

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: Encountering OCSE (Parents)
• Table 9: Nature of Incident (Parents)
• Table 10: Action Taken (Parents)
• Table 11: Effects of OCSE Experience (Parents)
• Table 12: Response Rates
• Table 13: 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 at Home
• 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. Public Safety launched a national awareness campaign in March 2021 that focused on changing the attitudes and behaviours of Canadians on the subject of online child sexual exploitation, a reprehensible crime causing life-long harm and suffering to victims. According to the Public Safety website, online child sexual exploitation (OCSE) is defined as when children are tricked into seeing or participating in online encounters of a sexual nature. OCSE is one of the most disturbing public safety issues facing society today. It continues to harm past and present generations of children in Canada and abroad^[1]. It includes:

• Child sexual abuse material - Actual, but also fictitious, written depictions of child sexual abuse, audio, video, and images, also known as child pornography;
• Self-generated materials and sexting – Youth-generated explicit images/videos on the Internet, which are often further distributed without consent;
• Sextortion – Use of coercion and threats to extort child sexual exploitation images/videos from youth (either by other youth or adult offenders), or "financial" sextortion where predators threaten to release the compromising material unless the victim sends payment;
• Grooming and luring – Use of applications and platforms to connect with children and youth for the purpose of sexually exploiting them;
• Live child sexual abuse streaming – Viewing of child sexual abuse in real-time, often involves the offender directing the abuse; and
• Made-to-order content – Ordering videos/images to suit offenders' preferences.

The awareness campaign was renewed in the fall of 2022 to continue to increase awareness levels of OCSE by increasing public and parental understanding that children (persons under 18) who engage in sexting could be at risk of OCSE. 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.

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 established early 2020 and the first tracking survey conducted in March 2022. It is also designed to measure changes in awareness and attitudes and behaviours related to online child sexual activity among parents, and through second-hand reporting, among children 8 to 18.

B. Methodology

The OCSE Public Awareness Research Survey was conducted online between September 6 and 19, 2023. The survey included 1,015 Canadians aged 18 and over with at least one child between the ages of 8 and 18 and is compared with 1,199 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 13 minutes online and 21 minutes by telephone. The overall response rate for the survey was 14%. Appendix A presents further details on the methodology for the survey.

C. Key Findings

Online 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.

More than half of parents (58%) and the general public (57%) report hearing, reading, or seeing at least something about OCSE, an increase from 2022. Over four in five believe OCSE is a significant problem outside of Canada. More than six in ten parents and member of the general public feel OCSE is a problem in Canada, and only slightly fewer believe it to be a problem in their province. As jurisdictions narrow locally, relatively fewer perceive OCSE to be a problem (your city; four in ten, or your neighbourhood; one in four).

Fewer than six in ten parents (59%) and members of the general public (54%) agree they would give up some of their online privacy rights in order to protect children from sexual exploitation online, on par with 2022, but 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. Just over one in three mostly or always monitor their child’s online activity at home, although more than one in four rarely or never do. Four in ten check browser history, or keep the computer in a common room, while slightly fewer block sites. 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 (63%) 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 online safety with their child makes them feel good and makes them feel safe. Just under half 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, on par with 2022 but a significant increase from 33% in 2020. Similar to previous years, just over one in four parents have come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards their child or other youth online. Six 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.

Two in three parents say the amount of time their child spends online has increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, while this was 90% in 2022. Just under half feel that the risk posed to their child from online activities has increased, a drop from 53% in 2022. Just over half of parents say they monitor or supervise their child during virtual learning daily or almost daily, an increase from 44% in 2022.

Information about OCSE

One in three parents have ever looked for information about OCSE and how to protect their kids, which has risen from one in four reported in 2022. In terms of information needed, most parents would like information on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of OCSE. About half want information on privacy and security measures to take or how to talk to their children about OCSE. Most parents would like to find information through a website or to receive information through their child’s school. A third prefer to receive information though social media, which has risen since 2022.

Cybertip.ca

Familiarity with Cybertip.ca continues to be low, with only 14% of parents and 13% of members of the general public saying they are somewhat or very familiar with the website and/or the Canadian Centre for Child Protection. Awareness among the general public, however, has seen a modest increase 9% in 2022 and 8% in 2020. 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^[2] 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 1,015 are isolated throughout the report; referred to simply as "parents". The report also presents results for 1,199 members of the "general public"^[3]. Results are compared throughout the report with a similar sample collected between 2020, 2022 and 2023.

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. Over seven in ten parents (74%) and members of the general public (71%) do not agree that kids today live in a safe online environment. These results show that parents are more concerned about the online environment than in 2020 when 63% of parents and 65% of the general public disagreed. Agreement is similarly strong that digital service 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 65% of parents and slightly fewer (62%) members of the general public agree. The results are roughly on par with, if marginally lower than previous results when 68% (in 2020) or 64% (in 2022) of parents and 65% (in 2020) and 59% (in 2022) 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=1015); General public (n=1199)

• Among parents and the general public more broadly, women are more likely than men to disagree that kids live in a safe online environment, and agree that digital service providers should seek out child abuse material even if it means less privacy.
• Among parents and members of the general public, those who are 55 or older are more likely that those who are younger to disagree that children live in a safe online environment and agree that digital service providers should seek out child abuse material even if it means less privacy.
• Disagreement about children living in a safe online environment is also highest among members of the general public living in the Atlantic.

Parents and the general public were asked to provide their own description of what online child sexual exploitation refers to, with no categories of responses provided for the question. Both groups most often described OCSE in terms of coercing or threatening children related to sexual content or acts (32% and 31% respectively); notably by a higher proportion that found in 2022^[4]. Both parents and the general public more broadly also described online child exploitation in terms of luring (20% and 21%), exposing children to sexual content to children (18% and 17%), distribution, sharing or profiting from sexual content featuring children (16% and 18%), and pornography (16% and 17%). While comparatively similar proportions of respondents noted each of these first four themes in 2023 relative to previous years, the description of OCSE as pornography was used less frequently in 2023. Between one in ten and one in seven respondents described it as child abuse (12% and 15%) or content exposing children in a sexual manner (12% and 10%). Fewer described it in other terms such as sexual trafficking, attempts to meet in-person or involving those under 18.

More than half of parents (58%) and the general public (57%) report hearing, reading or seeing something (19% and 17% respectively), or a lot (39% and 40%) about OCSE, pointing to an increase in awareness compared with 2022, and among the general public compared with 2020. About a third have not heard very much (31% of parents and 29% of the general public) and four in ten (42% of each segment) have not heard, read or seen very much (31% and 29%) or anything (11% or 13%) about OCSE.

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=1015); General public (n=1199)

• Members of the general public not born in Canada are more likely to say they have heard nothing at all about OCSE. It is also more often the case in Quebec, while those in British Columbia are most likely to say they have heard a lot about OCSE.
• Parents in British Columbia and Alberta are the most likely to say they have heard a lot about OCSE. Parents who are a racialized minority are apt to say they have heard noting at all.

Both parents and members of the general public have most often heard about people being caught, arrested or charged (16% and 14%, respectively), that it involves extortion, threats, bullying or stealing images (11% and 10%), human trafficking (10% and 9%), or luring (10% and 12%). Some simply describe OCSE as something they have heard about in traditional media (13% and 12%, respectively). Results show an increase in the proportion who have seen or heard about OCSE in the media, and also describe themes of extortion, threats or bullying, human trafficking (compared with 2022), as well as the prevalence on social media and use of false identities.

Both parents and the general public have heard, seen or read about OCSE through a variety of sources, with the largest proportion noting social media (43% of parents and 48% in the general public). This is followed closely by television (37% and 43% respectively, which is fairly similar to 2022, but down significantly from 53% and 59% in 2020). Websites were noted by 30% of parents and 29% of the general public, which is down from 38% and 36% respectively, although the term used in 2020 ad 2022 was "online" rather than "websites". Similarly, newspapers were noted by 29% of parents and 34% of the general public (on par with previous years). Fewer pointed to friends and family (27% and 25%), the radio (26% and 27%), school (15% of parents, and 7% of the general public) or streaming television (12% and 10%, respectively).

• Among parents, those aged 55 and over are more likely than younger counterparts to say they heard of OCSE through television.
• Mothers are more likely than fathers to have heard about it through social media or school.
• Parents of children under 14 are more likely than parents of older children to note social media as a source.
• Parents in Alberta noted social media more often than parents living elsewhere across the country. This is also the case for family and friends, and websites as well as streaming television (e.g., Netflix). Parents in Quebec are more likely tan others to note radio as a source.
• Among members of the general public, social media is noted more often among those under 35 compared with older age cohorts, and racialized communities. Newspapers are a source indicated more often among those 55 or older. Television is also more often noted by those 55 or older, compared with those who are younger, as well as among residents of Quebec. The pattern is the same for radio (i.e., higher among those 55 or older and residents of Quebec), as well as among men compared with women, and among those with a university graduate degree.
• Websites are also noted more often among members of the general public with a university graduate degree compared with those with lower levels of education.
• Family and friends are noted as a source more often among women compared with me and residents of the Atlantic.

A large proportion of parents and the general public see OCSE as a significant problem in the rest of the world (86% and 82%, respectively). Considerably fewer see this as a problem in Canada (68% and 62%) and in their province (62% and 55%). As the focus becomes more local, smaller and smaller proportions of parents and the general public see this as a problem (your city – 44% of parents and 39% of the public see this as an issue; and your neighbourhood – 27% and 21% respectively see this as a problem). The perception that OCSE is a problem increased in most areas since 2022, particularly among parents.

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

Base: All respondents: Parents (n=1015); General public (n=1199)

• 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.
• Interestingly, results do not vary by province for those saying OCSE is a problem in their province, although members of the general public living in Alberta are more likely than others to say it is not a problem in their neighbourhood and residents of British Columbia are more likely than others to say it is not a problem in their city.
• Members of the general public under 35 and parents under 45 are also more likely than others to say that OCSE is not a problem in Canada, their province, city and neighbourhood, while those who are 55 or older are most likely to see it as a problem in each of these areas.
• Those who have heard a fair bit about OCSE are also more likely to see it as a problem in each of these areas.

B. Parents’ Behaviour

Parents report that their children are online in various formats. Most say their child is online on a phone or tablet (92%), or at home on a computer (77%). Three in four (78%) report that their child is online at school through a computer or tablet and half (54%) are online at home on a gaming system. One in five (26%) said their child generally goes online somewhere else, which is down notably from 44% three years ago though up slightly from 22% in 2022. In other areas results are very similar to 2020 and 2022, although fewer are using a home computer compared with 85% in 2022.

Q10. Does your child go online...?

Base: Parents (n=1011)

• Parents of children under the age of 14 are more likely to say their child goes online on a school computer or tablet compared with parents of children 14 or older, who are comparatively more likely to report online activity on a phone or tablet or a home computer, a home gaming system or somewhere else.
• Parents of boys are twice as likely to say their child is online at home on a gaming system compared with parents of girls.
• Parents between the ages of 45 and 54, as well as those over the age of 55 are significantly more likely to say their child goes online using a phone or tablet. The likelihood of a child using the internet at home on a computer is also higher among parents over the age of 55, and lowest among parents under the age of 45.

One in ten (10%) parents say they always monitor their child’s activity when they are online at home, while another 27% say they mostly monitor their activity. The largest proportion of parents (36%) monitor "sometimes". Just under one in four (23%) rarely monitor their child’s activity online at home and 5% say they never do. Parents appear to be monitoring online activity to about the same extent as they were in 2022, but less than they were in 2020 when 45% reported they were always or mostly monitoring activity compared with 37% in 2023.

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

Base: Parents (n=878)

• Parents of younger children are more than twice as likely to say they always or mostly monitor their child’s activity online (more than half do), while four in ten parents of older children say they rarely or never do.
• Parents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are more likely to report that they sometimes or rarely monitor online activity compared with parents in other regions.

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 (44%) or keep the computer in a common room (43%). Both are on par with 2022 when 43% were reported, respectively, although down from 2020 when 57% and 54% indicated these practices. One in three (37%) parents reports that they block websites, while 27% say they sit with their child when they are online and 17% educate or have discussions with their child. Other practices described (unprompted) by parents include establishing rules (14%) and installing monitoring software (12%).

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

Base: Parents (n=840)

• Parents of children under 14 are more likely than parents of children who are older to report more of these safeguards, including keeping the computer in a common room, blocking sites, checking browser history, and sitting with them while online, as well as installing monitoring software.
• Parents in Manitoba or Saskatchewan, who are more likely to say they rarely or never monitor activity, are also more than twice as likely to say they have no safeguards in place.

Nearly half (46%) of parents are unsure of what safeguards are in place at their child’s school. Over one in three (33%) report that there are website or WiFi blockers in place, while 18% indicate that there is limited access, age control, or parental controls over their child’s online activity while at school. Results for limited access or parental controls are higher than reported in both 2022 and 2020 at 9% and 8%, respectively.

• Website or WiFi blockers are indicated more often among women and parents in Alberta compared with other parents.
• Limited access, age controls, and parental controls are mentioned slightly more among parents of children under the age of 14.

Four in ten parents indicate that they follow their child on social media, either on some of their accounts (21%), or on all (20%). One in five says they do not follow their child’s social media. Two in five (40%) report that their child does not use social media, on par with 39% in 2022, but and increased from29% in 2020.

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

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• Parents of children under the age of 14 are four times 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 boys are more likely to have children who do not use social media.

Mirroring results for 2022, 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. More than four in ten (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=591)

• Parents of younger children are apt to know the passwords for all accounts; parents of older children more likely to say they do not know their child’s password.
• Parents in Quebec are more likely than parents in other regions to say they do not know all the passwords for the child’s accounts.

Parents most often reported interaction on Snapchat (60%), Instagram (57%) and TikTok (48%), followed by YouTube (39%), Facebook (34%) and Minecraft (28%). Discord (26%), other video games (23%) and Fortnite (19%) were also reported quite often. Compared with 2022 and 2020, Snapchat has gained considerable popularity, assuming the position held by Instagram in 2022, although use of Instagram has not changed considerably since 2022.

• Parents in Alberta are more likely to report their child’s use of Instagram compared with parents in other regions. Those living in Quebec and Atlantic Canada are more likely than others to report use of Facebook.
• Children who are 14 or older are more likely to use Instagram compared with younger children.
• Girls are more likely to be using Snapchat and Tiktok compared with boys. Boys, on the other hand, are much more likely than girls to be using YouTube, Minecraft, Discord, Fortnite, and other video game platforms.

Most (63%) parents of children who are online say that their child interacts only with friends and family. Just over one-quarter (27%) indicate their child may interact with friends of friends online, and 18% 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 decreased since 2022 (27% and 18% respectively), but in the case of strangers, increased since 2020 (12%).

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=591)

• Parents of younger children are more likely to say their child interacts with only friends and family. Parents of older children are apt to identify friends of friends and popular celebrities.
• Parents in Manitoba and Saskatchewan are more likely to say their child interacts with only friends and family.

Most parents (68%) report the amount of time their child spends online has increased since the start of COVID, which is down significantly since this set of questions was introduced in 2022, when almost all parents (90%) said so. The risk posed to children has increased according to slightly less than half of parents (46%). Again, this is down from 2022 when more than half of parents (53%) reported an increase in risk. Meanwhile, 44% say it has remained the same. One in four (26%) report an increase in supervision, down only slightly from 2022 when 28% were of a similar opinion.

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

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• 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. Women are also somewhat more likely than men to say that the amount of monitoring or supervision their child gets has decreased.
• Parents who are members of racialized minorities, as well as those born outside of Canada are more likely than other parents to say their monitoring has increased. This is also true among parents who have heard more about OCSE, and parents of children under 14 compared with other parents.
• Parents in Ontario are somewhat more likely than other parents to believe the risk to their child has increased, while parents in Quebec are least likely to think this is the case. Parents who have heard more about OCSE are also more likely to believe the risk has increased compared with other parents. The view is also heightened among parents who see OCSE as a problem in their city.

More than half (53%) of parents say they monitor or supervise their child during virtual learning daily or almost daily, whereas only 44% reported the same in 2022. One in five (19%) monitors a few times a week, the same result as in 2022. About one-quarter monitor once a week or less. Less than one in ten (7%) parents indicate they never monitor their child during virtual learning, down from 11% in 2022.

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

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• Parents of younger children are more likely to say they monitor their child’s virtual learning daily or almost daily, which is also more often reported among women. Parents of older children are apt to report they monitor once a month or less, or never.
• Daily monitoring is also reported more often in Ontario and least often in Quebec and the Atlantic provinces.

Parents more often (daily or weekly) talk about certain aspects of online activities with their child, including who they talk to or interact with (46%), what they talk to others about (40%), and what sites they are visiting (37%). Other online activities discussed 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 (66%), sending sexual images or videos online (60%), if someone is being exploited online (58%), privacy settings (53%), and grooming (56%). Some OCSE topics are never talked about by a high portion of parents, such as capping (57%), sextortion (45%) and sexting (43%). Results are generally comparable to 2022, though there is slightly more discussion than reported in 20202 about what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them feel uncomfortable.

• 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, as well as what to do if they are asked to do something that makes them uncomfortable, privacy settings and what to do if they know someone being exploited online.
• Female parents are more likely than male parents to say they frequently discuss 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 online safety on hand. The large majority of parents (89%) feel they have time to talk with their child about their online activities, which is on par with 87% in 2020 but has increased from 2020 when it was 79%. Three in ten feel that they cannot keep up with technology including apps and games their child is using and another 24% are more neutral, which is similar to previous results. Only four in ten (42%) agree that they know where to go to seek help about online safety, while more than half either disagree (30%) or are more neutral (26%). Six in ten (62%) do not keep information about online safety; on par with 2022 but higher than in 2020 (44%).

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 online safety.

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• Parents in Quebec are more likely than others across the country to say they do not know where to seek help about online safety.
• Parents who have heard about OCSE, or come across inappropriate behaviour, are more likely to agree they know where to seek help about online safety or they keep information/resources handy.
• Parents born outside of Canada and those in racialized communities are more likely than other parents to say they keep information about online safety.
• Older parents are more likely to say they cannot keep up with technology, which is also the case among higher proportions of parents in the Atlantic, Manitoba and Saskatchewan compared with other parents.

Almost all parents (92%) agree they are responsible for talking with their child about online safety, which is on par with 2022, but higher than 85% in 2020. Three in four (73%) also agree that their child would be comfortable turning to them for advice, which is the same as in line with previous years. On the other hand, only half of parents (47%) say their child expects to talk with them about this issue, although also in line with results in previous years.

Only one in four (26%) say they are very concerned about their child becoming a victim, although half (49%) disagree. The large majority of parents (84%) 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. Each of these results are largely on par with results from previous years.

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 online safety.

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• Women, racialized minorities as we as parents not born in Canada are more likely than other parents to agree that they are very concerned about their child being a victim. This is also somewhat higher in British Columbia than it is elsewhere in Canada. Parents of girls are also more likely to agree, while those with older children (14 or older) are more likely than those with younger children to disagree.
• Women and parents of younger children and parents who have come across inappropriate behaviour are more likely to agree that their child expects them to talk about internet safety.

More than one in three parents do not feel prepared to have discussions about OCSE. Two in three (65%) feel they know how to talk to their child about online safety. About the same proportion (66%) say they know how to convince their child to talk with them about their online activity. Results are on par with those found in 2022 and 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 online safety.

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• Parents with older children (14 or older) are more likely to agree that they do not know how to convince their children to speak with them about their online activity.

Similar barriers exist when it comes to parents’ own personal motivation. More than half (54%) of parents agree that talking about internet safety with their child makes them feel good. This is largely in line with 51% in 2022, but notably decreased from 63% in 2020. Half (50%) report that it makes them feel safe, which is also largely on par with 47% in 2022, but lower than in 2020, at 58%. Just under half (48%) say it is a regular habit to engage in these conversations, up slightly from both 2022 (43%) and on par with 2020 (45%).

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 online safety.

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• Parents not born in Canada as well as racialized minorities are more likely than other parents to say talking about online safety with their child makes them feel safe and makes them feel good.
• 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 online safety is a habit. This is also more common among women compared with men, and in the Atlantic compared with other regions of the country.

Close to six in ten (59%) parents agree that talking to their child about their online activity will protect them from OCSE, although 13% disagree and 27% are neutral. Agreement is in line with the 57% found in 2022 but higher than the 51% found in 2020, Similarly to 2020, only 34% of parents agree that it is the only form of prevention, while 43% 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 online safety.

Base: Parents (n=1015)

• Parents in Alberta are the most likely across the country to disagree that talking to their child about their online activity is the only way to prevent them from being sexually exploited. This is also true of parents with a university level of education compared with parents with a high school or college level of education.
• Racialized minority parents are more likely to agree with both statements.
• 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. These results are on par with both 2022 and 2020. Eight in ten (80%) would report it to the police, up slightly from 77% in both 2022 and 2020. Six in ten (61%) would report it to the online platform. This is up from 56% in 2022 and 38% in 2020. Meanwhile just under half (49%) would report it to the school, which is on par with 2022 and higher than in 2020 (46%). More than half (54%) would seek counselling or therapy for their child, which is higher than the 46% reported in 2022.

• Women are more likely than men to report a number of actions including speaking with the child, reporting the activity to the online platform, and seeking counselling support for the child and other family members.
• Parents in Alberta are more likely than others across the country to report it to the school. Parents in Ontario are more likely than elsewhere in the country to report it to the online platform. Reporting it to Cybertip.ca is more often indicated by parents in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and the Atlantic provinces. Confrontation is more often noted in Ontario than it is elsewhere. Seeking support for the child in more common in the Atlantic than it is elsewhere, and parents in the Atlantic as well as Ontario are more likely than other parents to seek counselling or support for other members of the family.
• Racialized minority parents and parents not born in Canada are more likely to say that they would confront the person who interacted with their child, as well as report it to Cybertip.ca and in the case of visible minorities, to the school.
• Confrontation is more likely among parents of younger children (under 14).

D. Personal Experience With oCSE

Nearly half of parents (46%) 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, which is on par with results from 2022, but a significant increase from 33% in 2020. As reported in previous years, just over one in four (29%) parents has come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards their child or other youth online, which has increased marginally over time from 23% in 2020 and 26% in 2022. To the best of their knowledge, 25% of parents indicate that there have been cases of OCSE in their community; similar to 22% in 2022 but higher than the 17% found in 2020. Half say there have been no cases that they know of, and another 25% are not sure or prefer not to answer.

• Parents in Quebec are considerably less likely than other parents to report that their child has come to them to discuss questionable online activity. Men are also slightly less likely to report this compared with women. This is also true of parents born outside of Canada.
• Women are more likely than men to have come across inappropriate behaviour geared towards their child or other youth online. Parents who are part of a racialized community or born outside of Canada are less likely to report this that other parents.
• Parents in the Atlantic are almost twice as likely as other parents to have reported cases of OCSE in their community.

In their own household, 6% of parents report that their child has been a victim of OCSE (similar to 5% in 2022 and 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=1015)

Specifically, these parents share that their child watched, heard or received sexual or offensive material (18%), were asked about or offered to engage in inappropriate (e.g., sexual) material (11%), or were a victim of cyber bullying (7%). Fewer described use of inappropriate language or had conversations about inappropriate behaviour (5%). Results are similar to those gathered in 2022 and 2020, though the incidence of parents reporting that their children watched, heard or received offensive material is down notably from 2022, as is the proportion indicating cyber bullying.

Mostly, these parents talked to their child (67%) about the inappropriate behaviour. Some parents say they reported it to the school (22%), sought support from other adults (20%), reported it to the police (15%), reported it to the online platform (15%), or sought counselling or therapy for their child (13%). Fewer parents indicate they talked to their child than reported in 2020 at 80%, though this number is largely unchanged from 2022.

• Parents in Alberta are more likely to have reported it to the school, confronted the person who interacted with their child, or reported it to the online platform.

Although half of parents (50%) indicated that there were not long-standing effects because of the OCSE incident (up significantly from 33% in 2022 and 34% in 2020), many other effects are noted by parents. A third (34%) say there have been effects on their child’s mental health or self esteem, which is down from half (49%) in 2022, but on par with 2020. Just over one in four (28%) report long-standing effects on their child’s social relationships and friendships, or an impact on their own mental health (26%). Performance at school or work was noted by 19% in each case. Results are largely similar to previous years, particularly given the small samples sizes in each time periods.

E. Information Needs

As indicated earlier in the report one in three (34%) parents have looked for information about OCSE and how to protect their kids. In terms of information of interest, the majority of parents would like information on how to recognize the signs and symptoms of online sexual exploitation (63% which is on par with 59% in 2022 but lower than 71% in 2020) or privacy and security measures to be taken (57%; similar to the 55% in 2022 but lower than 66% in 2020). Just under half (48%) would like information on how to talk to their children about OCSE, which is roughly on par with 47% in 2022 but down from 57% in 2020. Roughly one in three parents would like information on resources and help lines (41%), laws (39%) or who is most at risk (32%). Information about laws and effects on victims are in greater demand than they were in 2022, although less so than 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=1015)

• Women are more likely than men to be interested in information about how to talk to their children, privacy and security measures, and resources and help lines.
• Parents in the Atlantic are more likely to be interested than other parents in information about who is most at risk.
• Parents who were not born in Canada are more likely than those born in Canada to have an interest in information on privacy and security measures, help line resources, how to talk to your children and the effects on victims.
• Parents of younger children (under 14) are more likely than those with older children to want information about how to talk to your kids, which is also expressed more often among parents of boys compared with parents of girls.

Most parents would like to find information through an internet website (65%) or to receive information through their child’s school (62%). About four in ten would like information through social media (43%), or a pamphlet or brochure in the mail (37%). Other notable methods include receiving information at a doctor’s office (26%), or from friends and family (19%). Use of most information sources are comparable to both 2022 and 2020, although there is a marginal decrease in reliance on websites and increase in use of social media. There is also less interest in receiving information in the mail compared with 48% in 2020.

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

Base: Parents who have looked for information (n=902)

• Parents of younger children are more likely than those of older children to prefer information through the school.
• Parents not born in Canada are more likely to prefer information from a pamphlet or brochure in the mail.

F. Familiarity With Cybertip.ca

Familiarity with Cybertip.ca is low, with only 14% of parents and 13% of members of the general public saying they are somewhat or very familiar with it. The large majority, 63% of parents and 67% of the general public, have no familiarity with it at all. Familiarity with Cybertip.ca has, however, experienced a modest increase among the general public from 9% and 8% reported in 2022 and 2020, respectively.

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

Base: All respondents: Parents (n=1015); General public (n=1199)

• Members of the general public living in Saskatchewan and Manitoba, followed by Ontario, are more likely to say they are somewhat or very familiar. Residents of Quebec are apt to say they are not at all familiar.
• Member of the general public who see OCSE as a significant problem in their city are more likely than others to be aware of Cybertip.ca.

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 (34% of parents and 16% of the general public). Relatively few have filed a report (7% and 9%) or signed up for alerts (9% and 3%, respectively). Smaller sample sizes make it difficult to assess changes over time.

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

Base: All Respondents: Parents (n=141); General public (n=160)

G. Privacy Rights vs Protection of Children

Fewer than six in ten parents (59%) and members of the general public (54%) would agree to give up some of their online privacy rights in order to protect children from OCSE, which remains lower than found in 2020 at 66%. 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=1015); General public (n=1199)

• 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 considering OCSE 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 population^[7]. 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 30 cases in English and 38 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 September 6th and 19th, 2023, 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 16,345 cases is 14.0%. It is 13.9% among Probit sample members who completed the survey online and 14.14% 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 2016 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 (unweighted for age, region and gender, weighted for other characteristics).

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 20230829-EK064).

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

Privacy Policy

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
• Website: 6
• Magazine: 7
• Newspaper: 8
• Outdoor billboard: 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

Q5A

The following questions are 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.>

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

The following questions are 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.>

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 [1,22]

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

[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
• Discord: 19
• 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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: 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
• 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 online 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 online 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 online safety.

I keep information/resources about online 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 online 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 online safety.

I worry that talking about online 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 online 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 online safety.

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

My child expects me to talk to them about online 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 online 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 online safety.

I find it difficult to bring up online 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 online safety.

I know how to talk about online 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 online 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 online safety.

Talking about online 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 online safety.

Talking about online 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 online safety.

Talking about online 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 online 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 online 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

To what extent did you monitor or supervise 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: 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? Please remember your honest responses are very helpful and will remain anonymous.

[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 sexual 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

On www.cybertip.ca, have you ever...

Filed a report

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

Q9B

On www.cybertip.ca, have you ever...

Signed up for alerts

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

Q9C

On 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
• 2SLGBTQI+ (two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and the + is inclusive of people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities, who use additional terminologies): 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
• 2SLGBTQI+ (two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and the + is inclusive of people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities, who use additional terminologies): 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

QINC

What is your annual household income from all sources before taxes?

• Less than $10,000: 1
• $10,000-$19,999: 2
• $20,000-$29,999: 3
• $30,000-$39,999: 4
• $40,000-$49,999: 5
• $50,000-$59,999: 6
• $60,000-$79,999: 7
• $80,000-$99,999: 8
• $100,000-$124,999: 9
• $125,000-$149,999: 10
• $150,000-$199,999: 11
• $200,000 or more: 12
• Don't know / No response: 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 answers

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

QRECRUIT

Finally, Ekos Research Associates is leading a series of discussions with parents of children between the ages of eight and 18 to get feedback on several proposed approaches to an awareness campaign to be launched in 2024, aimed at increasing safety of children while engaging in online activities, specifically informing parents about the threat of online child sexual exploitation; a dangerous and serious online threat that is on the rise in Canada and around the world. May we contact you with more details about these discussions in the upcoming months?

• Yes: 1
• No: 2

FNAME

Please provide us with the following contact information so we can follow up with you with details about upcoming sessions.

Please confirm the spelling of your first and last names:

• Correct: 1
• Name (if different): 77

QEMAIL

[EMAIL is not empty] Is [EMAIL] the best email address at which to reach you? [Else] What is the best email address at which to reach you?>

EMAIL is not empty

• Yes: 1

[EMAIL is not empty]No, please provide alternate email: [Else] Email address:

QTELE

[PHONE is not empty] Is [PHONE] the best telephone number at which to reach you? [Else] What is the best telephone number at which to reach you?

PHONE is not empty

• Yes: 1
• [PHONE is not empty] No, please provide alternate phone number: [Else] Phone number:

THNK

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, http://www.kidshelpphone.ca, or https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/cj-jp/victims-victimes/vsd-rsv/index.html at any time for additional resources or to report a crime.

Thank You

Thank you for your participation. These are all the questions we have for you today.

If asked: 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.

THNK2

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