Fact Sheet - For youth aged 13-14 - Online Grooming
Youth aged 13–14
Online grooming: what it is and how to protect yourself
What is online grooming?
It is when someone acts like your friend to try and make you do things like talk about sex or send naked videos or pictures of yourself. You should know it happens more than you think — and it can put you in real danger.
How does it happen?
It is not always the same, but it can happen like this:
- Someone approaches you online — it can even be someone you know
- They may use a fake profile to pretend to be a kid or someone they’re not
- They want a lot of your attention right away
- They try to get you to like them by talking about things you’re interested in or people you know
- They may give you gifts or compliments
- Talk eventually turns toward your body or sex
- They may ask you to send sexual images or videos
- They may ask you to meet in person
- They may threaten you or put pressure on you if you don’t do what they ask
What can you do?
There are people who will try to take advantage of you online, so try to make safe choices:
- Know that people are not always who they say they are
- Don’t accept gifts from or arrange to meet someone you don’t know well
- Be careful what you share online — it can be used against you
- Keep personal information private — like your name, phone number, where you are and details about your life
- Trust your gut — if it feels weird or wrong to you, it probably is
- Don’t do anything that makes you uncomfortable — it’s always your choice and it is never too late to say no
- Block or break off contact
- Tell your parent or another safe adult
- Know it is not your fault — it’s not ok for adults to give sexual attention to teens
It’s ok to interact with people online, but not for them to make you feel uncomfortable.
Learn more at Canada.ca/childexploitation