12-year-old boy in B.C. dies by suicide in response to online sextortion, police say

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sextortion, Prince George RCMP said Monday.“Nothing was worth doing this,” Ryan Cleland, Carson’s father, told CKPG News.Reports of sextortion, the practice of extorting money or sexual favours from someone by threatening to reveal evidence of their online sexual activity, are on the rise, Prince George RCMP said.Sextortion is most prevalent in youth between the ages of 13 and 18, police said.So far this year, Prince George RCMP has received 62 reports of online sextortion, already surpassing the 56 reports received in 2022, police confirmed.“Be more active with your kids, even if you are active, which we were,” Carson’s mother, Nicola Smith, told CKPG News.“Talk to your kids about predators and all the things that’s happening and the safety of online. As much as younger kids hate parents going on their phones, maybe they have to.”Police said parents need to know about the dangers for kids online.“We are calling for parents and caregivers to be honest with their youth about the dangers of online activity, especially if they are engaging in chats with people they don’t know in real life,” Cpl.

Jennifer Cooper said in a news release.“While not every case of online sextortion will end in tragedy, the consequences of this kind of activity can follow a youth for their entire life, which needs to be something we talk about openly with our kids.”Carson’s family said he preferred to use Snapchat to talk to others.“They’re just not built for problems like this yet,” Cleland said. “They’re not built for adult problems like this yet.”If you are the victim of sextortion, it is important that you stop all communication immediately with that person and do not give in to their demands.