Sharp rise in reports of sexual crimes against children further underscores need for Canadian online safety laws

Winnipeg, Canada — Sexual crimes against Canadian children continue to trend upward at an alarming rate, the latest release of police‑reported crime data by Statistics Canada shows. Facilitated in many cases by social media and other online services, the crimes highlighted in today’s report reinforces the urgent need for strong online safety regulations in Canada, says the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P).

The statistics for the year 2023 continue to mirror a distressing trend from previous years, notably:

• Making, or distribution of child pornography* incidents have increased by 7,200 cases, representing an 80.2% increase compared to the previous year.
  • This is a 78.4% increase in incidents compared to the previous five‑year average.
• Extortion incidents — the criminal charge most commonly laid in online sextortion cases — have increased by 3,918 cases, representing a 39% increase compared to the previous year.
  • This is a 71.4% increase in incidents compared to the previous five‑year average.
• Non‑consensual distribution of intimate images incidents, which most commonly involve children or young adult victims, have increased by 472 cases, representing an 18.2% increase compared to the previous year.
  • This is a 23.7% increase in incidents compared to the previous five‑year average.  
• Possession of, or accessing child pornography* incidents have increased by 563 cases, representing a 12.1% increase compared to the previous year.
  • This is a 20.9% increase in incidents compared to the previous five‑year average.

“Our response to online safety cannot be to only act when a crime has been committed. The goal has to be to detect and limit the now very well-understood and predictable dangers children face in digital spaces,” says Lianna McDonald, Executive Director for C3P.

“The reality is that so many of these reported crimes against Canadian children are enabled by the decisions social media companies make in how they design, monitor, and commercialize their services,” says McDonald. “This is precisely why we urgently need to move ahead with online safety regulations, as proposed in the Online Harms Bill.”

Through advocacy work with survivor groups and international stakeholders, C3P has been among the most vocal groups in Canada calling for government regulation surrounding online safety standards for digital service providers and social media companies. Many jurisdictions across the globe such as the United Kingdom, the European Union, Australia, and several US states currently have online safety laws that ensures children and youth benefit from enhanced protections on the internet.

*“Child pornography” is the term used in the Criminal Code of Canada. The term “child sexual abuse material” more clearly describes the assaults taking place against children and is a more accurate term for images and videos depicting this form of abuse.