Yes, there's a right way to talk to your teens about online safety.

Thanks to our brand partner, Snapchat

In today's digital age, social media has become an integral part of teenage life. Chances are, your teen has access to a social media account, so it's important you feel empowered to take action if they come to you for help — it's simply a part of growing up.

Rather than avoiding the topic, have an open conversation with your teen about the potential dangers of social media and how they can protect themselves.

With increasing reports of online child sexual exploitation to the Australian Federal Police-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation, it's crucial your child feels comfortable coming to you if they ever feel unsafe online.

What is online grooming and sextortion?

According to Jacqueline Beauchere, Global Head of Platform Safety at Snap Inc., online grooming for sexual purposes typically involves an adult targeting a minor to build a relationship and then persuading them to engage in some kind of sexual activity.

Sextortion takes this practice a step further and may be sexually or financially motivated.

"It typically occurs by catfishing or hacking," said Jacqueline.

"Catfishing occurs when criminals pretend to be someone they're not and lure a victim into sharing personal information or producing sexual imagery."

Hacking, on the other hand, involves a criminal gaining unauthorised access to a target or victim's electronic devices or social media accounts with the intent of stealing intimate imagery that might exist or other types of personal information.

"There's a new twist on these crimes that we're seeing which involves perpetrators either pretending to have sexual imagery of a target already or creating that kind of compromising AI-generated imagery.

The perpetrator will then use the imagery, however gained, to blackmail victims into agreeing to their demands, which might be sexual, financial or involve other personal information.

How common is it?

Over the past three years, Snapchat has conducted research involving young people aged 13 to 24 across six countries, including Australia, focusing on Generation Z teens and young adults' experiences on various online platforms. Snap commissioned the research but it covers Gen Z teens' and young adults' experiences across online platforms generally, with no specific focus on Snapchat.

"In Australia, 43 per cent of Generation Z teens and young adults were potential targets of extortion based on their online activities, and that would include being deceived into sharing sexual images of themselves and then being threatened or blackmailed; being lured into grooming-type conversations; or maybe being catfished or hacked."

What are the signs of online grooming or sextortion?

If something doesn't feel right, Jacqueline urges parents to look out for several possible red flags.

"Any change in behaviour could be a sign that the teen may be experiencing issues. So that's any change from one extreme to another in behaviour."

"Look out for changes in their use of technology, changes in their participation in their regular activities or their behaviours at school.

"Maybe they're acting out, maybe they don't want to go to school. They might be engaging in sexualised behaviours you may not have seen before.

"Certain physical and physiological changes might include changes to eating habits or sleeping patterns."

However, sometimes there are no signs at all, so it is important to have frequent and ongoing conversations to ensure they know help is available and they will be supported.

How can I talk to my teen about it?

Snapchat is working with the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation to provide parents with the tools they need to understand online grooming and sextortion, including how to talk to their teens and where they can go for help.

"We really want parents to have that open robust dialogue with their teens," said Jacqueline.

"We want them to ask questions and to listen and really hear but we have to try to suspend judgement."

If your teen broaches the topic with you, it's critical their parent or caregiver lets them know it isn't their fault and that the adult is there to help them. To start, follow these five steps:

"First of all, we have to stop the chat. And this particularly goes for extortion. You can't respond to or meet any of the demands," said Jacqueline.

"You have to take screenshots of the messages and the profile to make that available to law enforcement and the platform so they can remove them from the service.

"Block that account, report it to the platform, report it to the app, the game, the site or wherever it occurred.

"And if the teen is under the age of 18, so a minor, report it to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE)."

What about Snapchat?

Snapchat differs from other traditional social media in that it's designed for enhanced communication between and among real-life friends and family.

"With people you know in person, you're going to get on Snapchat so you can have enhanced communication using filters, lenses and fun ways to connect."

Snapchat is designed with extra protections for teens, to help ensure the platform is a fun and safe environment for the youngest members of its community, and safety and privacy settings are on by default for those aged 13-17.

The app opens to the camera first to keep the focus on creation, rather than consumption.

"We're not opening to a seemingly endless feed of unfiltered content. We also don't have those features and functionality that can make people feel uneasy or self-conscious, such as public likes and friend lists."

There's also a feature called Family Centre, a suite of tools for parents, caregivers and trusted adults. The service allows parents to see who their child is communicating with and report suspicious accounts.

What's important here is that this service aims to balance privacy and safety. Snapchat respects that teens are navigating their own autonomy and independence by not granting parents or caregivers access to their actual messages.

For example, when you take your kids to the movies, you know who they're with, but you don't hear every conversation, right?

"And that's how Family Centre is designed."

Prevention tips for teens?

The first thing to remember is to make use of all of the privacy settings on whatever games or apps they use. The second thing is to be aware of any unusual behaviour and view new accounts or contacts with a healthy dose of scepticism.

"We're really trying to spark critical thinking. Critical thinking can get young people out of potential jams pretty readily if they would just say, 'hold on, let me think about this.'"

"Our research shows that when young people share this intimate imagery, the vast majority lose control of it. So we really have to think clearly.

"They need to ask themselves, how old is this person? Do they have many friends and followers? Does it look like someone just created it out of the blue?

"And most importantly, say no or don't respond."

"If your teen comes to you for help, our number one recommendation is to immediately report the incident to AFP's Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation and the platform, game or app where this took place."

Learn more about Snapchat's tools and resources for parents and teens here.

Feature Image: Getty.

Snapchat is working with the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation to help address safety concerns of parents and carers - educating them about both online grooming and sextortion, how to talk to their teens about the issues and where to go for help. For more information visit: accce.gov.au