Snapchat Identified as Primary Platform for Teen Online Sexual Victimization in Canada
A startling new report has identified Snapchat as the platform where nearly 40 percent of Canadian teenagers who experienced online sexual victimization say the abuse occurred. The findings, released by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, highlight significant concerns about safety on private messaging platforms.
The national charity, which operates a tip line for reporting child sexual abuse and exploitation online, collected these alarming statistics through a survey of approximately 1,300 teenagers aged 13 to 17. The research was conducted in collaboration with the polling firm Leger.
Most Common Forms of Online Harm Reported by Teens
The survey asked teens about their experiences with non-consensual and inappropriate sexual behavior online. The report uncovered several prevalent forms of harm, with 79 percent of teen respondents stating they had experienced someone attempting to make them talk about sex. Furthermore, 59 percent reported receiving unsolicited images or videos depicting sex acts or genitals.
Other forms of victimization included threats to circulate naked photos of the teens without their consent, including the threat of distributing fake or altered images.
Calls for Stronger Online Safety Legislation and Platform Accountability
In response to these findings, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is urgently calling on social media and messaging platforms to enhance their safety regimes, with a specific focus on private messaging features. The report argues that if the goal of online safety is to protect children, then private communication services must be a central focus of regulatory efforts.
The report states, "If the guiding principles of an online safety regime are to safeguard children and prevent harm, then it must devote significant attention to the outsized role private communication services and functions play in the facilitation of online sexual victimization of teens in Canada."
This new data adds momentum to growing calls from child safety advocates for Prime Minister Mark Carney's government to introduce robust new legislation to protect children online. This push comes after the previous Liberal government's Online Harms Act failed to pass Parliament before the spring federal election was called.
The former bill proposed creating a new digital safety regulator and requiring platforms to create safety plans to reduce users' exposure to harmful content. However, a significant gap identified by the Canadian Centre for Child Protection is that the former legislation did not apply to private messages. The centre's report suggests the current government must address this shortcoming to effectively protect young Canadians.
