OPP issues warning after girl, 13, shares ‘sexually explicit’ images online

Ontario Provincial Police are warning residents to be aware of their children’s online activities after a 13-year-old girl sent “sexually explicit” images to a male she met online.

Police say the 13-year-old girl met a 16-year-old boy online and the two began to chat. The boy asked the girl to send him explicit photographs and videos. The girl’s parents found out the teen had shared the images in a chat room and contacted police immediately.

“Everyone needs to realize the long and short term dangers of sending out photographs and videos of themselves. Those who distribute it also need to be aware of the criminal ramifications of doing so,” said Constable Ed Sanchuk, Norfolk County OPP in news release. “Once it’s out there, you can’t get it back and you should not be embarrassed to speak to police about your concerns.”

Police are encouraging parents to have honest and frank discussions with their kids about what self-peer exploitation is, and explain that the images can often end up somewhere they may not want them to be.

For more information and to report an incident of online sexual exploitation, click here.