A 20-year-old Surrey man has been arrested for allegedly starting up a sexual relationship with a 13-year-old Chilliwack girl using online networks Facebook and iPod.
"They had several online conversations and shared explicit photos of themselves to each other," RCMP Cpl. Tammy Hollingsworth said. "The two also met personally on more than one occasion where sexual offences were committed."
She said parental control of children using popular online social networks is the key to preventing such incidents.
"A lot of parents may not know what their kids are up to," she said, when they click onto Facebook or iPod's Peer-to-Peer application.
"We want to alert parents to know these things are happening."
Many computer devices have settings to limit access to inappropriate matters and protect children from online predators.
The 20-year-old suspect was arrested in Surrey and released on conditions including no contact with the Chilliwack girl. He is facing several sex-related charges.
Here are more police tips for parents:
- you can block the ability to install applications on a browser, YouTube and iTunes;
- you can also restrict what is purchased for applications, music and podcasts;
- movies, TV shows and applications can be restricted by ratings;
- YouTube is a "hot destination" for most kids, and it has an app button on the main page of an iPad;
- YouTube has settings on its home page to control what videos your children can search for and view;
- don't let children add content to iPad or any computer without permission;
- the iPad itself can be password-protected to prevent use by children;
- sign out of the App Store when not actively shopping.