A young person from southern Tasmania has been charged with possessing child exploitation material after police allegedly detected him sharing illegal content on the social media platform Kik.
The Tasmanian Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team executed a search warrant on Tuesday and allegedly found a “large amount of serious child exploitation material” on the youth’s mobile phone.
He has been bailed to appear in court at a later date and is subject to strict conditions.
Police have not revealed how old the youth is.
The investigation was a joint operation between Tasmania Police’s High-Risk Child Exploitation Unit and the Australian Federal Police, with assistance from the Community Protection and Offender Reporting team.
Tasmania Police said it “is committed to stopping these crimes and keeping our children safe”.
Police are urging parents not to rely solely on new social media age restrictions to keep children safe online.
Australian children under 16 are now restricted from using platforms including Kik.
Tasmania Police recommends parents have open conversations with their children about online safety, supervise their internet use, and familiarise themselves with privacy settings and reporting options.
