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Online Child Sexual Exploitation is a complex issue for families. There are many common myths about the topic, and it's critical to get the facts right.
| Myth | Reality |
|---|---|
| Online child sex offenders are ‘strangers’ to victims | Online child sex offenders can be known to the victim, such as a family friend or relative |
| My child is primary school-aged, so are not at risk | Online child sexual offenders do not discriminate against age |
| Only females are at risk of online child sexual exploitation | Anyone under the age of 18 can be a victim of online child sexual exploitation |
| Online child sex offenders are always older males | Online Child sex offenders can be any age, male or female and come from any background |
| Online child sexual exploitation and child sex abuse doesn’t happen in Australia | Australian law enforcement continue to disrupt online child sex offender networks in Australia |
| Parental controls and privacy settings are enough to keep children and young people safe online | To ensure online safety, multiple strategies are needed, including open and honest conversations with children and young people |
| Children's games (on gaming consoles or apps) are always safer | Any site, game, app or platform with a chat function can be used by online child sex offenders |
| Just viewing online child sexual exploitation and abuse material isn’t causing any harm | Viewing such material continues the cycle of harm for victims and creates a market to produce more material |
| Online child sexual exploitation isn’t as important as safety in the physical world | Exploitation has offline impacts |
| Children in smaller or more isolated towns are safer from offenders | Victims of online child sexual exploitation can be located anywhere |
| I would have time to notice the signs if my child was being groomed online | It can take only minutes for online child sex offenders to gain trust and form ‘friendships’ with a potential victim |
| Online child sexual exploitation and abuse won’t happen to my child | Online child sexual exploitation and abuse can happen to anyone under 18 years and offenders are skilled in exploiting vulnerabilities |