Statistics Canada Article on Police-Reported Online Child Sexual Exploitation

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat today published an article on Online child sexual exploitation: A statistical profile of police-reported incidents in Canada, 2014 to 2022:

"The Internet has become an integral part of life for most Canadians, with an estimated 99% of households having access ...While increased accessibility to the Internet has provided society with limitless opportunities for enhancing daily life, concerns related to online safety—particularly for children and youth—have emerged."

"Advancements in technology have changed the ways that perpetrators lure and groom their victims. For example, increased accessibility to—and use of—smartphones among children and youth has made it easier for offenders to communicate with potential victims through online chatrooms and social media platforms. As digital technologies continue to evolve, there are increased opportunities for committing Internet-related crimes, including online child sexual exploitation ..."

Among the highlights of the article:

• Between 2014 and 2022, there were 15,630 incidents of police-reported online sexual offences against children and 45,816 incidents of online child pornography.
• Making or distributing child pornography accounted for almost three-quarters (72%) of all incidents of child pornography between 2014 and 2022, with possessing or accessing child pornography accounting for the remaining 28% of incidents. The rate of online child pornography increased 290% between 2014 and 2022.
• Girls were overrepresented as victims for all offence types over the nine-year period. The majority of victims of police-reported online sexual offences against children were girls, particularly girls between the ages of 12 and 17 (71% of all victims).
• Incidents of non-consensual distribution of intimate images most often involved a youth victim and a youth accused. Nearly all (97%) child and youth victims between 2015 to 2022 were aged 12 to 17 years. Nine in ten (90%) accused persons were youth aged 12 to 17. For one-third (33%) of youth victims, a casual acquaintance shared the victim’s intimate images with others.