Online Safety

As a police service, we recognize the risks children face online, including online luring, sextortion, cyberbullying, and the misuse of social media, gaming platforms, video chats, and image‑sharing apps.

We cannot keep children off the Internet, but we can talk with them and teach them how to stay safe.

Encourage your children to tell you if they see something online that makes them uncomfortable or upset. Remind them not to share personal information, such as their address or school name, with people they meet online.

Children and youth should also understand that videos, images, and video chats can be saved or captured. Sharing an intimate image of anyone under 18 is illegal, even if consent was given.

For many young people, their online interactions are just as important as their in‑person lives. With so much time spent online, we want to help prevent them from experiencing online harm.

Parents and caregivers play a key role in guiding children and teens to use technology safely and responsibly.

Remind your child or youth that people they meet online are not always who they say they are. They should never share personal information—such as passwords, their school name, or photos—with people they play games with.

Let them know that if someone asks them to move a game conversation to a video chat or another messaging platform, they must come to you for permission first.

If a conversation or situation online makes them feel uncomfortable, they should log off right away and talk to a trusted adult about what happened.