"Don't be a boob": Alberta warns young people against sending nudes
Alberta has a fun and flashy new campaign to raise awareness about sextortion and dissuade young people from sharing nudes online, and it’s certainly turning a few heads.
âButt out, creepsâ is a campaign to raise awareness and help youth get smart about sextortion. The campaign was created by the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team (ALERT) in partnership with DBB Canada.
Ads featuring a dancing eggplant and peach emojis are currently running on Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube, and online gaming platforms.
The singing eggplant tells kids, âDonât be a wang, donât be a boob, sending nude pics to strangers makes you look like a newb.â
Meanwhile, the peach character sings, âIf someone you know asks you for a nude, tell someone you trust, then ghost that weird dude.â
ALERT says the ads are aimed at youth between 10 and 17 years of age, who they have found to be the primary target of sextortion cases.
Sextortion is where children, specifically boys, are coerced into sending explicit images online and are then extorted for money, e-transfers, or gift cards. Predators often pose as girls of a similar age and use fake accounts to target youth.
Last year, ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation unit received nearly 3,000 case referrals. Over the last five years, these types of offences have increased by more than 185%, ALERT said.
âSextortion cases are completely debilitating for youth and have become all too frequent â and it is happening inside our homes. We are hoping this campaign allows us to connect with youth online and provide education and support resources in a manner that is accessible and noteworthy,â said Superintendent Marc Cochlin, ALERT CEO.
Resources for parents and more information on the campaign can be found here.