Prince George, B.C. –  A new tablet,  a lap top,  perhaps a  smart phone,  all items  that  may be on a Christmas wish list for the young ones  this year.  But  parents should  remember, giving the gift of  internet connectivity  also  opens the door  to  online  safety concerns and  exposure to predators.Just last month,  a  31 year old Prince George man was sentenced to a year in jail  and  two years probation  for luring a child following  an investigation  that started  in January of  2015.    That case saw  a member the BC Integrated Child Exploitation unit (BC ICE)  pose as a 12 year old  girl  start communicating online with an adult male..  Although the investigator emphasized on several occasions that they were a child, the suspect engaged dialogue and over a short period of time, proceeded to send sexually explicit images to the child (investigator) and graphic descriptions of sexual acts that he wanted to engage in with the child.  The suspect was arrested in  late March,  and  on November 22nd,  31 year old Nolan Liedke was sentenced.

The RCMP  advise that  parents have the  safety discussion with  their  teens  starting with  being open  about  online behaviour.  The mounties  suggest computers be located in a busy family areas, such as the kitchen, and  work with  teens so they know how to behave safely online.

On the RCMP website there are a number of  tips  for internet  safety.  Here are a few of the tips  offered by the RCMP:

• Monitor  your teen’s  online activities on a regular basis.
• Encourage teens to take breaks from devices once in a while
• Establish a family recharging station and keep devices out of bedrooms at night
• Some mobile apps may not be suitable for  teens,  and some Apps also have the potential to be used by adult offenders to take advantage of young people

Let your teens  know that what they post or say on the net can have  serious long term  effects and consequences,  online harassment is an offence  that could  result in criminal charges.