Online safety is part of everyday caregiving, not a separate world.
Phones, games and social media can support friendships, school and family contact. They can also expose young people to cyberbullying, grooming, sextortion, image-based abuse and AI-generated harm. The goal is safer use without closing the door on trust and help-seeking.
Part of our School & Education resource series. See the main School & Education guide for school navigation, Student Well-being Teams and related supports. Following a guided route? Return to the Teen years & turning 18 route.
Information reviewed September 2026. Platforms, reporting tools, school policy and online-harm tactics can change quickly, so use the linked PEI or Canadian source when current steps matter.
PEI has made youth cyberviolence a province-wide priority.
Prince Edward Island launched its Provincial Youth Cyberviolence Prevention Strategy in June 2026. The strategy focuses on prevention, digital literacy, positive online behaviour, support, policy, youth voice and coordination across schools, communities and government.
Government of PEI: Youth Cyberviolence Prevention Strategy
Start with the problem in front of you.
A child is getting a first phone or bringing an existing device into your home.
Set up accounts, privacy, family contact and household rules without relying on secret surveillance.
First phone & online safetyA nude or sexual image was shared, posted or threatened.
Stay calm, preserve useful information, use Canadian reporting and removal supports, and protect the youth from blame.
Intimate-image first stepsSomeone is demanding money, more images or secrecy.
Stop communication, do not pay, preserve the messages and get help quickly.
Sextortion & groomingThe sexual image is fake or AI-generated.
The image may be fabricated, but the abuse, humiliation and safety impact are real.
AI deepfakes & image-based abuseThe cyberbullying follows the child into school.
Ask for a concrete school safety, privacy and follow-up plan instead of leaving the youth to manage peers alone.
PEI school responseI work with the young person.
Respond to image-based abuse without circulating the content, repeatedly questioning the youth or making them coordinate the response.
Professional response guideCanadian research supports conversation over blanket surveillance.
MediaSmarts' Young Canadians in a Wireless World research has surveyed more than 20,000 parents, teachers and students since 2000. Its Phase IV work found that young people value privacy and trust, while heavy surveillance can make it harder for them to turn to adults when something goes wrong online.
MediaSmarts: Young Canadians in a Wireless World
PEI's own survey shows school and online harm often overlap.
Among parent and caregiver respondents to the survey informing PEI's 2026 strategy, 55% reported that youth in their care had experienced some form of cyberviolence, 52% reported cyberbullying, and 93% of reported incidents involved another student at the youth's school. These are survey-response figures, not a prevalence estimate for all PEI youth.
Know the Canadian action services before there is a crisis.
Cybertip.ca
Canada's national tipline for online sexual exploitation of children. Report online sexual exploitation or ask for information about next steps.
1-866-658-9022
Cybertip.caNeedHelpNow.ca
Canadian Centre for Child Protection support for youth affected by online sexual violence, including help with intimate-image removal.
NeedHelpNow.caKids Help Phone
Young people can call 1-800-668-6868 or text CONNECT to 686868 for confidential support.
Kids Help PhoneCyberbullying is not always only a technology problem.
When the people involved attend the same school, live in the same community or share activities, blocking an account may not end the harm. The response may also need school support, transportation changes, peer safety planning, counselling and regular follow-up.
Intimate images and sextortion require a different level of response.
Cybertip.ca received more than 2,300 sextortion reports in 2024. The Canadian Centre for Child Protection also reported 527 youth cases of non-consensual intimate-image distribution in 2025, including AI-facilitated incidents. If sexual images, blackmail or grooming are involved, use the specific response guides rather than treating the situation as ordinary screen-time conflict.
Family Online Safety Plan
Build rules around privacy, trust, accounts, monitoring and help-seeking with the child or teen.
Download family planIntimate Image First Steps
Use when a youth's sexual or intimate image has been shared, threatened, edited or AI-generated.
Download first-steps sheetWas this page helpful?
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