Snap Inc. and the Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) have collaborated on a new educational initiative to help protect teens from online grooming and sextortion.
The campaign aims to help young Aussies feel confident that they can spot the signs of online grooming and sextortion, while helping parents understand the best way to support their teens to avoid it, and where to go for help.
According to the ACCCE, online grooming is when an adult targets a young person under 16 and builds a relationship just to persuade them into sexual activity. Whilst sextortion is deceiving someone into sharing a sexual image of themself and then blackmailing them for more images or money by threatening to share them publicly.
Snapchat teamed up with Australian creators loved by teens and parents to develop educational social content and Snapchat videos, featuring tips and information from the AFP-led ACCCE.
The content features guidance about what online grooming and sextortion are, the red flags to watch out for, and how to report them.
Local influencers Lambros Army, Millie K, Kailash Sarma, Ali Daddo and Matty Acton have created short-form videos that will be live across their social channels and run on Snapchat via Snap Story Ads targeting Australian Snapchatters.
The content also features members of Snapchat’s local safety team to offer advice for parents. As part of the campaign, special guides for both teens and parents about online grooming and sextortion will be published on the ACCCE website.
Embarrassment or fear can prevent teens from asking for help, so the educational videos reassure teens that online grooming and sextortion are never their fault and explain what they can do to take back control. The campaign also helps educate parents on signs to notice that something might be amiss with their teen, and what to do if their teen comes to them about something that is happening online.
The content aims to raise awareness of the reporting mechanisms for online grooming and sextortion of minors in Australia, through the Australian Federal Police’s ACCCE unit.
“With so much of our lives spent online, it’s important for teens and parents to feel equipped with the skills and knowledge needed to help them navigate digital spaces safely and responsibly. Regular, open conversations about online activities can help foster safer digital experiences while providing an open channel to raise any challenges or concerns. I’d encourage all families to use our Family Centre tools to help make these conversations a little easier,” Jacqueline Beauchere, global head of platform safety at Snap Inc. said.
Snapchat is designed with extra protections for teens to help ensure the visual messaging platform is a safe environment for the youngest members of its community. Safety and privacy settings are on by default for those aged 13-17, and Snapchat’s Family Centre suite of tools for parents and caregivers allows trusted adults to see who their teen is friends with and chatting to on the messaging platform, and report any concerns.
“This joint initiative with Snapchat is an innovative way for law enforcement and industry to work together to reach young people with online safety messaging. It’s important that parents and teens know how to recognise the signs of grooming and sextortion and where to seek help,” Helen Schneider, commander of human exploitation at the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation said.
“The safety of the Snapchat community has always been our priority, and working closely with law enforcement and expert safety partners is a critical part of that ongoing effort. We have Trust and Safety and Law Enforcement Operations teams located here in Australia, who lead this important work. We’re very pleased to be able to extend this into the project with the ACCCE, to help educate teens and families across Australia, through Snapchat and beyond, about some of the most serious online risks that young people may encounter and better equip teens to stay safe online,” Ryan Ferguson, managing director of Snap Inc. in Australia and New Zealand added.
Snapchat and ACCCE work with industry experts and organisations such as Lifeline and Kids Helpline.
