ALERT’s Internet Child Exploitation units are reminding residents to keep online safety on the top of their mind after they investigated 440 new criminal cases and laid over 300 charges in 2012.

The charges were laid against 72 people throughout Alberta.

ALERT officials say that kids are continuing to access the Internet in different ways and their activity continues to evolve.

“Teaching online safety is even more critical to prevent harm against children,” Sgt. Mike Lokken says in a release.

They're releasing the information on charges and safety tips as part of an initiative to cut down on Internet crime for International Safer Internet Day.

ALERT has the following tips to help reduce the risk of online luring:

  • Do not give out personal information to strangers online.
  • Keep in mind that people are not always who they say they are online.
  • If someone you don’t know approaches you or makes you uncomfortable online, tell your parents.
  • Predators use threats to gain control over children. Tell someone if you are being threatened, and know that complying with their demands is unlikely to prevent a predator from making further threats.
  • Never agree to meet someone in person that you have met online without first discussing it with your parents.

Police are also advising youth against sharing images in text messages, email, or on social media.

They also offer the following reminders about image sharing online:

  • Once you send a picture online, you have no control over it. You cannot control the recipient’s actions once he or she receives your photo.
  • Pictures are never completely removed from the Internet.
  • Creating, possessing and distributing sexually explicit images of someone under the age of 18 are illegal. Engaging in these activities can result in criminal charges.

“Issues related to ‘sexting’ are something we are seeing more frequently, with young people not understanding the consequences of sending, receiving or forwarding nude or explicit images,” said S/Sgt. Greg Johnson of ALERT’s southern ICE unit. “When you share a nude or explicit image of someone under the age of 18, you are sexually exploiting that person and can be charged with child pornography offences. Our intent here is not to scare kids, but to make them think twice before they share these types of images.”

For more tips, parents and kids can visit the ALERT website.