Latest news with #explicitcontent
CTV News
5 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
RCMP warn parents of rise of online bullying, exploitation among youth in White Rock, B.C.
Police in White Rock, B.C., are urging parents to be cautious of their children's phone use amid an increase of explicit content sharing and bullying online. White Rock RCMP issued a statement Monday morning describing a noticed increase in 'negative behaviours' on the internet, particularly on apps that users believe can not be traced back to them, alongside a reminder that youth aged 12 and older can be charged with Criminal Code offences for online misconduct. This includes serious offences such as sharing intimate images of another youth without consent, online harassment, or making threats through digital platforms. Children and teenagers are advised to never share personal or explicit photos or videos, and to not talk to strangers online — even if they seem to be a child or teenager themselves. Any suspicious or uncomfortable behavior should be reported to a trusted adult, said the RCMP. 'If you wouldn't want your parent, teacher or coach to see what you are sending, it's probably not appropriate to send,' said Youth Relations Officer Const. Chantal Sears, in a news release. 'Social media apps such as Snapchat and Discord, and others, can be traced back to you even after what you have sent disappears or is deleted. It's important to treat your online life as you would your regular life.' As for parents, the RCMP recommended they work to gain a better understanding of what apps their child uses, who they are talking to online, and what content they are sharing. Boundaries should be set, with clear rules established for when screen time is allowed and where in the home devices can be used. 'I have yet to investigate a file where nude images were sent from the kitchen or family room. They have always been sent from the bedroom or bathroom with parents or guardians present inside the home,' said Sears. Conversations should be embarked on regarding online behavior and what content is appropriate, and parents should create a safe space for their child or children to report anything uncomfortable they experience online. The RCMP suggests enabling privacy settings on all devices. Sudden changes in behavior, secrecy about phone use, or receiving gifts or money can be 'red flags' that signal there may be issues online, Mounties said.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- General
- CTV News
Conservative activists gave Alberta government list of ‘inappropriate' books in school libraries
Seen here in an Edmonton secondary school library, is one of four graphic novels Government of Alberta officials cited as examples of explicit and age inappropriate material that prompted new province-wide content guidelines. (Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter) Social conservative activist groups provided Alberta government officials with lists of books now facing prohibition under new provincial content guidelines for school libraries, the IJF has learned. On May 26, Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced the province is bringing in new rules for school libraries after investigations by his office found materials containing depictions of sexual acts, nudity, drug and alcohol use, profanity and other mature content on the shelves in Alberta K-12 schools. Alberta currently has voluntary guidelines for library books, but school boards follow their own processes for selecting age-appropriate and relevant materials for students. Because of the inconsistent standards between school divisions, 'sexually explicit material has made their way onto school library shelves,' Nicolaides said, and so public, separate, francophone, charter and independent schools will be required to follow province-wide guidelines starting in the 2025-26 school year. While the province said it identified multiple books with sexually explicit and inappropriate content, it has so far only named four coming-of-age graphic novels: Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, Blankets by Craig Thompson and Flamer by Mike Curato. Three of the four books focus on 2SLGBTQ+ characters and themes. Nicolaides told reporters in Calgary on Monday he was alerted to the issue by a group of parents who provided him with excerpts from 'many of these books and other materials' and showed him information suggesting they were available in different schools. However, members of the groups Parents for Choice in Education (PCE) and Action4Canada have since taken credit for supplying Nicolaides with the names of books they wanted removed from school libraries. In an email sent to followers, PCE celebrated the launch of Alberta's public consultation on 'sexually explicit' books in K-9 schools, telling members 'your efforts helped make this happen. 'PCE has worked with concerned parents for the past two years to expose this issue. Using a list prepared by Action4Canada, one of our dedicated volunteers submitted examples of graphic books to government officials—proof that titles like Gender Queer and Fun Home are available to children in Alberta schools. This consultation is a direct result of that work," the email newsletter reads. PCE is an Alberta-based parental rights group that has previously taken issue with sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) education in schools, gay-straight alliance laws and other 2SLGBTQ-related policies. Action4Canada is a conservative Christian group with more than 60 chapters across Canada. The group promotes deeply conspiratorial beliefs, claiming the Canadian government and education system have been 'infiltrated by radical LGBTQ activists' and that SOGI education and sexually explicit books are part of a 'global agenda to sexualize children, interfere with parental rights, eliminate the natural family and normalize pedophilia.' After Alberta announced its new library guidelines on Monday, Action4Canada posted on its website, thanking Nicolaides for meeting with their team and responding to their concerns about sexually explicit materials in Alberta schools. In the post, the group said its Calgary chapter has been communicating with government officials over several months, providing evidence of inappropriate books in schools and a 'comprehensive binder' that outlines supposed harms of SOGI education. Nicolaides told the IJF in an email he met with PCE and 'other concerned parents.' He did not respond to questions about whether he met separately with Action4Canada or when these meetings took place. Action4Canada has led campaigns to have sexual education and 2SLGBTQ+ themed books removed from public and school libraries in several provinces. A 36-page list of 'sexually explicit and pornographic books' available in Canadian libraries published by the group includes the novels Gender Queer and Fun Home. The list includes excerpts of text and images from the novels. Many of the same excerpts are found in a document the government of Alberta provided to reporters on Monday showing examples of sexually explicit and graphic content found in library materials. 'Misrepresentation' of meetings by education minister Corinne Mason, professor of women's and gender studies at Mount Royal University, said Nicolaides' initial claim that complaints about school library books had come from parents concerned about books their kids had access to in schools is a 'total misrepresentation of the facts.' 'It's a blatant lie from the minister about what's happened,' they said. Both Action4Canada and PCE are highly organized and well-funded lobby organizations, Mason said. And in the case of PCE, one with strong ties to the UCP government and Alberta's conservative movement. PCE executive director John Hilton-O'Brien was a founding board member and past president of the Wildrose Party of Alberta. During the 2022 UCP leadership race, Danielle Smith and other candidates participated in a forum on education hosted by PCE. Mason said that Action4Canada's campaigns have targeted 2SLGBTQ+ communities as ideological indoctrinators and dangerous to children in a time when the community is being violently harassed by hateful actors as pedophiles and groomers. And that it's problematic if the UCP government has been looking to them for frameworks around what is and isn't appropriate in schools. 'The fact that Parents for Choice in Education and Action4Canada, both of those organizations claim this as a win, I think that should be really, really concerning for folks like myself, who are very concerned about the influence of the parental rights movement generally in Alberta,' Mason said Nicolaides said in an email the actions being taken by the UCP government have nothing to do with the LGBTQ+ community. 'The fact that our actions of protecting young students from seeing porn, child molestation, self-harm and other sexual material in school libraries are being labelled as anti-LGBTQ is frankly irresponsible,' he said. Alberta Teachers' Association President Jason Schilling also expressed concern that the government was willing to meet with special interest groups about library materials, but not educators. 'Parents for Choice in Education and Action4Canada are special interest groups who frequently target the 2SLGBTQIA+ community. Their claims that the provincial government is taking direction from them and not educators is questionable and alarming,' Schilling said. PCE told the IJF that its interest 'is in the reasonable rights of parents. Nobody who attacks those rights can expect to escape our criticism. Those claiming that we are discriminating against them are merely using the LGBTQ+ community to excuse their egregious actions.' Edmonton Public Schools, the Calgary Board of Education, and the Library Association of Alberta have all said the province hadn't contacted them about the issue of age-inappropriate books in libraries before Monday's announcement. 'Unprecedented' restriction of school library books All provinces provide general orientations about library content, but it remains the business of school boards to decide what books it uses, said James L. Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. Setting guidelines that block certain types of books from being in any school libraries is 'really unprecedented,' he said. 'What they're doing is censoring books,' Turk said. 'It's an absolute break from whatever any other province has done. It's following the lead of Florida and Texas and Utah and some American states that are moving in this direction.' The Florida Department of Education has removed over 700 books from K-12 school libraries. The agency maintains that no books have been banned in the state and the materials are 'sexually explicit' and don't belong in schools. The number of banned books in Florida spiked after a 2023 law was passed requiring school districts to have a policy for challenging materials that 'depicts or describes sexual conduct, is not suited to student needs and their ability to comprehend the material presented, or is inappropriate for the grade level and age group for which the material is used.' The four books named by Alberta's government have been frequently targeted by censors throughout North America. Gender Queer has the distinction of being the most banned book in the U.S. in 2021 and 2023, and the graphic novel shared the title of the most banned book in U.S. schools in 2022 with Curato's Flamer. These novels have also received multiple literary awards and continue to be selected for library catalogues by educators because of their ability to grapple with difficult subjects young adults are coping with in their lives, Turk said. 'They do raise challenging issues, but young adults deal with challenging things in their lives, and nobody is forcing anyone to read any of these books when they're in school libraries,' he said. Turk said these books may have been found in K-9 schools in Alberta because for students in grade nine and up they are appropriate. He added that he would be surprised if they appeared in the library catalogues of elementary schools. Nicolaides told the IJF these materials were found in schools across the province, but said they are not naming the individual schools to ensure the safety and security of teachers, staff and students at these libraries. The only specific school that has been identified as part of the province's investigation is an Edmonton public school for students in grades 4-9. Garrett Koehler, press secretary to the minister of education, shared images on social media of Flamer and Gender Queer on the shelves of the school, commenting 'these problematic books were found in and around books like Goldilocks…' Gender Queer has been awarded the American Library Association's Alex Award, given to books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12 to 18. The Government of Alberta's press release for its age-appropriate book guidelines policy states the recommended reading age for Flamer is 14 and up, or younger with adult guidance. By Brett McKay, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, Investigative Journalism Foundation
News.com.au
27-05-2025
- News.com.au
‘Inappropriate and troubling material': Brisbane Boys' College embroiled in Snapchat scandal
Multiple students at one of Brisbane's most elite private schools are being investigated by police over their involvement in a Snapchat group where 'potentially illegal' explicit content was shared. Brisbane Boys' College (BBC) headmaster Andre Casson said the school – which has tuition fees of as much as $31,440-a-year – was contacted last week 'by parents regarding a Snapchat group created and managed by students in year 10'. 'The college immediately commenced a fact-finding process looking into these concerns, during which we spoke with several students and their families,' Mr Casson wrote in the letter, which was obtained by The Courier-Mail. Some of the content shared in the group, Mr Casson said, was allegedly serious and potentially illegal, prompting the school to 'immediately' report the matter to police. It's understood content involving two nude children, who appear to be in their early teens, was among the 'inappropriate and troubling material' posted in the group. A Queensland Police spokesperson confirmed to that detectives from the Inner West Child Protection Investigation Unit are looking into the matter, after receiving a report on May 22 in relation to 'inappropriate images being shared on an online platform'. 'Anyone with information is urged to contact police.' 'Brisbane Boys' College became aware of inappropriate content on a social media chat group,' a BBC spokesperson told in a statement. 'The College as a result followed our protocols by referring the concerns to police and is unable to comment on the matter further.' In his letter, Mr Casson described the situation as 'confronting', and assured parents that 'appropriate action will be taken in accordance with BBC policies and values' once police complete their investigation. 'We want to assure you that our staff are ready to help any students and families who require it,' he wrote. 'Our heads of years, heads of house and college counsellors are available to provide support as needed. Should you have any further information on this investigation, we request that you report these matters directly to the police.' One parent alleged to The Courier-Mail that 'very graphic' images of a dead person and child pornography was shared in the group. Though their son was not in the group chat himself, one of his friends was added and upon seeing the content that had been shared, immediately left it, the parent said. 'My understanding is that he saw the kind of level of child exploitation material that is illegal for anyone, not just like adult pornography,' the parent told the publication. 'How did these kids even get access to this material? 'In my mind, by the time you're 15 or 16, you know how serious it is. That's why the criminal age (of responsibility) is 14 … how have these kids got to the age of 15 and 16, and thought that that's funny.' Another parent told The Courier-Mail that BBC's communications regarding the matter 'did not allude to the gravity and depravity of what was in that chat'. 'This is not just a normal other, 'Oh, yeah, boys will be boys (situation)'. It's not that,' the parent said. 'Apparently, they were sending death threats to other kids perceived to be 'snitches' on the school's internal communications system.'
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Yahoo
FCPS parent says students saw explicit content at school through video chat website
An Oakdale Middle School parent said students saw 'explicit sexual content' on their Chromebooks in school as they accessed a video chatting website that the district later blocked. David Morris said he spoke with other parents whose children saw the sexual content during live video chats while they watched on their Chromebooks in school and on the school bus. He passed along parents' concerns, and his, in an emailed letter on May 1 to school board members, criticizing the school system's leadership and handling of the issue. Students in Frederick County Public Schools in March encountered 'inappropriate content' after accessing the video chatting website Thundr while at school, Oakdale Middle School Principal Christine Samuels acknowledged in a community notification sent on May 2. The website is similar to the permanently shut down website Omegle, in that users can list their interests and be connected online with a random user with similar interests. Thundr matches users through text chat or video chat. On March 5, an Oakdale Middle School teacher was alerted that students accessed Thundr using their FCPS-issued Chromebooks during school hours, according to the school district. FCPS said staff members at the school submitted requests to block the website to the school district's Department of Technology Infrastructure on both March 5 and 6. The website was blocked for students on March 7, according to FCPS. Eric Louérs–Phillips, a spokesperson for the school district, wrote in an email on Tuesday that 58 students accessed Thundr from the time the complaint was made to when the site was blocked. FCPS said no other schools reported students having access to Thundr, and the only report was from Oakdale Middle. The school district added that it has no evidence of students at any FCPS school bypassing site blockers to access the website after the block was implemented. FCPS regulation specifically prohibits students circumventing security measures, including using a virtual private network instead of the FCPS Wi-Fi. Morris is a parent with a sixth grade student and an eighth grade student at Oakdale Middle. He said he heard from several other parents whose students were exposed to sexually explicit content. He wrote an email on May 2 to Rae Gallagher, the president of the Frederick County Board of Education, that a parent from the middle school brought the issue to the school's principal on March 10 — three days after the website was blocked. Morris wrote in the email that Samuels 'responded as if it was the first she'd heard of it.' FCPS said Samuels spoke with 'a concerned parent' on March 10, 'at which time the principal learned more detail as to the nature of the content that was accessed by students.' On May 2, Samuels sent an email to the Oakdale Middle School community, informing families of the incident. She wrote that in March, when the school first received a report of students accessing the site, 'we believed the incident to be isolated and, therefore, did not share it with the entire school community.' Samuels wrote that during the week of May 2, 'we learned that before the site was blocked by FCPS, some additional students may have accessed the site or been exposed to inappropriate content and may have shared it with other students.' Morris said in an interview on Wednesday that he was shocked a website like Thundr would be accessible on FCPS' network. He said there was no mass communication sent to parents about Thundr until the May 2 email from Samuels, despite how 'all the other kids knew about it.' Morris added that in addition to the students who used Chromebooks to access the website, 'I don't know how many kids actually were exposed to it through the other kids that had logged in and accessed the website.' 'They were showing it to their friends,' he said. 'Apparently, it became such a big deal that, this was in seventh and eighth grade, that even sixth graders knew about it.' Morris said it was concerning that Samuels did not immediately 'understand the magnitude' when she spoke with an Oakdale Middle School parent on March 10, since requests to block the site had come from the school on March 5 and 6. Morris said the responses he received from Oakdale Middle School staff members and the school board 'read like legal disclaimers.' 'There was no ownership. There was no apology,' he said. 'There was nothing other than just a bunch of legal jargon.'
CBC
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Trump's plane problem + Investigating deepfake porn site
The National breaks down what's wrong with Donald Trump accepting a luxury plane as a gift from Qatar. Plus, CBC News uncovers the Canadian pharmacist behind MrDeepFakes, the world's most notorious website making explicit deepfake videos.
