The number of child sexual exploitation cases being handled by police has nearly quadrupled in Canada over a decade.

In northern Ontario, police services spoke to CBC about what may be behind the dramatic rise in cases they’re handling: namely, social media, gaming platforms and artificial intelligence (AI).

Investigators in North Bay, Sudbury and Timmins say children are being exposed to more sophisticated forms of abuse, leaving police with mounting luring and sextortion caseloads.

“Really, any child is potentially a target for these offenders who are, we’ll say, prowling online,” said Det. Sgt. Jason Majkot, who leads Greater Sudbury Police Service’s internet child exploitation and computer forensics unit.

The number of police-reported incidents across the country rose 374 per cent between 2014 and 2024, according to Statistics Canada figures released in March.

Cybertip.ca — a national tip line for reporting online child sexual abuse and exploitation — reports receiving an average of six sextortion reports per day. Online luring reports also increased 344 per cent between 2020 and 2025.

Majkot said offenders often pose as children online in order to gain trust before attempting to obtain explicit images or arrange in-person meetings.

“Sometimes it’s through video games, sometimes through social media platforms,” he said in an interview with CBC News.

How predators manipulate victims

Offenders commonly rely on emotional manipulation to control victims, according to Majkot.

That can include compliments, gifts and affection — sometimes referred to as “love bombing” — before escalating to threats or coercion.

Majkot said some offenders threaten to release intimate images to friends and family if children stop communicating or refuse further demands.

Many investigations begin after social media companies report suspicious activity involving child exploitation to authorities, Majkot noted.

Since many social media companies are based in the United States, they are legally required under U.S. federal law to report child exploitation-related activity. Those reports are then routed through the RCMP before being sent to the appropriate Canadian police service, he said.

Sudbury police also conduct undercover operations and receive complaints directly from the public. They handle hundreds of online child exploitation-related files each year, and that number is growing, Majkot added.

The Timmins Police Service is experiencing much of the same.

“There has been an increase over the last several years of all types of online exploitation,” said Det. Sgt. Kathryn Beatty.

Beatty said the increase became more noticeable during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as more children spent time online and became comfortable communicating through apps and gaming platforms.

On average, the Timmins service handles four cases related to online child sexual exploitation each year, with two already this year, she said, noting the caseload doesn’t accurately reflect the number of victims.

It could be anyone who has ill intent. Sometimes it’s working professionals, sometimes it’s other students. It’s a wide array of perpetrators.– Det. Sgt. Kathryn Beatty, Timmins police

Timmins police also recently assisted Surrey police in an investigation. The accused was in British Columbia, with victims across the country, including in Timmins.

Beatty said there is no typical offender profile.

“It could be anyone who has ill intent. Sometimes it’s working professionals, sometimes it’s other students. It’s a wide array of perpetrators.”

AI creating new challenges

The North Bay Police Service said while the number of active child sexual exploitation investigations fluctuates at around five at any given time, more than 200 investigations are pending.

That means tips have been sent to the police, but investigators haven’t been able to fully work through the files.

Steve Carleton, who has worked in North Bay police’s internet child exploitation unit for six years, said investigators are increasingly encountering AI-generated child sexual abuse material.

“Just because the imagery and the media is getting to look so real, investigators are having to take some extra steps in determining whether or not these children that are depicted in this media are actually, in fact, real children that we need to put efforts forward to safeguard and potentially rescue from further abuse.”

He said police investigate every report as though a real child may be in danger, even when the material later turns out to be AI-generated.

Since many of the images are created using real images of actual children, there are still real victims behind the content, and people can still face criminal charges for creating, possessing or distributing the material, said Carleton.

According to Cybertip.ca, reports involving sexually explicit deepfake images and videos involving children increased 125 per cent between 2022 and 2025.

Victims often ‘absolutely terrified’

“What we’re seeing is kids coming into us absolutely terrified,” said Lindsay Lobb, director of operation for the support services team at the Winnipeg-based Canadian Centre for Child Protection.

“They’re terrified that their images are going to be shown online. They’re worried about what the adults in their life might think of them because of what happened to them online.”

Lobb said the organization helps children and families remove explicit content online, block offenders and connect victims with trusted adults and support services.

The centre is also calling for stronger federal laws, specifically the passage of Bill C-22, which would allow police and security officials to more easily obtain Canadians’ private information and intercept communications as part of criminal and intelligence investigations. 

Ninety-four per cent of online child sexual abuse material incidents reported in 2024 weren’t cleared by police — meaning investigators either could not identify a suspect or did not have enough evidence to proceed with charges, according to Statistics Canada.

For online sexual offences against children, including luring, 76 per cent of cases also remained uncleared.

However, Bill C-22 has drawn criticisms, specifically that it would weaken digital encryption and introduce cyber-vulnerabilities.  

Ways to reduce child sexual exploitation risk

According to police, parents, guardians and other adults can take steps to help reduce the risk of children being exploited online.

They include:

• Keeping open and regular conversations with children about online safety.
• Learning about the apps, games and social media platforms children use.
• Setting boundaries around device use, including limiting screen time and keeping devices in common areas of the home.
• Regularly checking children’s devices and online activity.
• Encouraging children to come forward if an online interaction makes them uncomfortable.
• Teaching children not to share personal information such as their school, address or age publicly online.
• Watching for children’s behavioural changes, including secrecy around devices or spending significantly more time online.

“I think parents should be modelling behaviour that when you are at home, don’t be on your phone, be present, communicate with your kids and be there for them,” said Carleton.