Peel Partners shine light on online safety

March 5, 2026 · 0 Comments

By Riley Murphy

Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A partnership between Peel Children’s Aid Society (CAS), Our Place Peel, Peel District School Board (PDSB), Region of Peel, and Peel Regional Police recently presented three Digital Dangers workshops, aimed at protecting children in online spaces.

The latest was held at Mayfield Secondary School on March 3.

The workshop, attended by parents, caregivers, and residents alike, taught not only important tips parents should know about the online world but also discussed the harsh reality many teens face.

Beginning the night was Michelle Stubbings with the Peel District School Board.

She explained the partnership came together because they know that growing up in an online environment for children is constantly changing, and, as parents and caregivers, with all the new apps and platforms available, their role as adults is even more important.

“Tonight is about learning together, about asking questions, and strengthening the strategies that we use to ensure the safety of our young ones as they navigate the digital world with confidence and security,” said Stubbings.

She explained when children have devices such as phones, they are exposed to significant risks, and being aware of these risks will help mitigate them in future scenarios.

Child safety online, Stubbings said, is a shared responsibility among school boards, families, and community partners.

She encouraged keeping conversations open with children about these online risks, adding that how adults respond in such situations is crucial.

Dangers of the online world include luring, extortion and sextortion, impersonation and more.

The workshop also pointed out signs that your child may be experiencing one of these risks, such as new friends out of the blue, unexplained possessions, and high shifts in mood. All of these changes present opportunities to engage with your child.

“The relationships that we have with our children supersede everything. The teen years are difficult to navigate, and so having those trusting, open relationships with our children is super important, and we need to be honest and open and willing to hear what they are telling us,” said Stubbings.

She also presented safety tips for children of different ages.

For kindergarten through Grade 5, this includes asking for permission before you post, using unique usernames, being kind online, only playing age-appropriate games and apps, staying on approved websites, using privacy settings together, and more.

For Grades 6 to 12, they recommend guarding your digital identity, knowing how to report and block, recognizing cyberbullying, understanding digital footprints, and more.

“We teach children in schools that the internet doesn’t forget,” she adds.

At PDSB, she says, they “do a million and one things to keep our children safe online,” including a multi-layered approach to awareness, social work support, online reporting tools, and more.

“It’s important that as educators in front of your children, we are also aware of the dangers that our children are facing,” she said

The conversations around sex trafficking, she says, being in Grade 6, “with more education in our classrooms, we’re finding that peers are reporting their peers who are involved in trafficking.”

On the topic of sex trafficking, the Region of Peel’s Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy was presented, specifically on sextortion.

Sextortion is the practice of extorting money or sexual favours from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their sexual activity.

A representative from the Region of Peel’s Anti-Human Sex Trafficking Strategy said for kids and teens, the internet is a big community, and a lot of the children and teenagers that they speak to will say that their best friend is someone that they’ve never met in their life.

Presented were red flags kids need to watch out for, such as a person not sharing any information about themselves, asking for exchanges to be kept a secret, buying lots of gifts, asking for or sending unsolicited nude photos, or interactions that promise to give you money or goods “really fast.”

In each app a child might play on, or in social media apps, it was said that privacy settings are often built in that parents can activate.

It’s recommended that location services be turned off, and kids should feel comfortable blocking anyone who makes them feel unsafe or presents red flags.

It was also said that computers should be kept in common spaces, that kids should avoid sending any pictures that include their faces, that kids should be taught not to click on advertisements, and that kids should be aware of the dangers of a digital footprint.

Getting into teen years, these exploiters often turn to romantic relationships as well, which can be dangerous for teens looking for that sense of belonging, it was explained.

“It’s not that children and teens just can’t figure out what’s going on or they didn’t respond properly. These people make a living out of targeting, finding vulnerabilities, and then exploiting that vulnerability,” said the representative.

If any of these dangers present themselves to your children, it’s recommended that they block or shut it down and make a report.

Extortion-related incidents can be reported to Cybertip, and if explicit images are posted, Take It Down is a free service that can help you remove or stop the online sharing.

Joy Brown, with Peel Police, worked as a police officer for decades and now works in community safety and well-being and presented on the dangers of sex trafficking, which she said is 93% domestic.

“It is really in our backyard.”

The majority are between 12 and 24, but they have been as low as 10.

“Victims are often vulnerable due to mental health issues, previous trauma, family instability, drugs, alcohol, poverty, and low self-esteem,” explained Brown.

Traffickers can present as a friend, a romantic interest, or even a professional, offering children jobs.

It also happens through social media such as Instagram and Snapchat.

A large part of the workshop was discussing services available to families experiencing any of these dangers.

Sylvia Kolitsopoulos. Service Director, Advice and Assessment with Peel Children’s Aid Society, discussed supports to help prevent some of these dangers.

The Peel CAS building, now dubbed The Circle, brings together a variety of community partners within it to wrap around those who need these supports.

They also have youth wellness hubs and various programs to help bring together children and youth in the community and to assist with preventive measures against digital dangers.

Dani Mills, director of Our Place Peel and speaking on nCourage, an Anti-Human Trafficking Integrated Service Hub in the Region of Peel, talked about how youth in these situations are not alone.

At nCourage, they provide wraparound support and aim to create low or no barriers to accessing supports and services.

“Everything from immediate basic needs and care. Systems are quite complex and difficult even for us as adults to navigate. We take that burden off of the young people and their families and do all the coordination,” said Mills.

A big component is safety and risk assessment. As Mills explained, many of the risks and vulnerabilities are preyed upon; they work to identify these risks and create a safety plan for each family or individual.

Cecilia Lapadula with EFRY Hope and Help for Women highlighted programs EFRY offers not just for those exiting an exploitative or human trafficking situation, but also programs that provide ongoing outreach support.

Lastly, Barb Patten from Peel Public Health closed the workshop, discussed healthy relationships with our devices.

She touched on having emotional check-ins and taking note of how your phone is impacting you physically and mentally.

“We need to learn how to negotiate this world, and it’s only ever evolving. It’s hard to stay one step ahead,” says Patten. “It’s imperative that we talk to them about the risks of being online and how to stay safe.”