'Don't be a wang': Eggplant emoji warns against sending nudes in new Alberta campaign

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) launched its "Butt out, creeps" campaign on social media channels in October 2023.

A new Alberta-wide campaign is using ads with animated eggplant and peach emojis that sing and dance to caution against sending nude photos.

The Alberta Law Enforcement Response Teams (ALERT) launched its "Butt out, creeps" campaign on social media earlier this month, hoping to curb the high number of sextortion cases the province is seeing.

In one colourful ad, the singing eggplant tells youth, "Don’t be a wang, don’t be a boob, sending nude pics to strangers makes you look like a newb.

"They could try blackmail, but don't block and delete – first take a screen grab and keep the receipt."

The peach, meanwhile, sings "Never wear nudes, no if ands or butts. If they want cheeky pics that's majorly sus.

"If someone you know asks you for a nude, tell someone you trust, then ghost that weird dude."

The short 15-second ads are aimed at youth 10 to 17 years old, who ALERT has found are the primary target of sextortion cases.

"Sextortion is where children, specifically boys, are being coerced into sending explicit images online and are then extorted for money, e-transfers, or gift cards," ALERT explained in a Tuesday news release.

"Predators often pose as girls of a similar age and use fake accounts to target youth. Investigating sextortion is challenging as the suspects are believed to be operating overseas, much the same manner as more traditional phone scammers."

The campaign’s primary message is to dissuade youth from sharing nudes online, and to "get smart about sextortion" by visiting the buttoutcreeps.ca website for more resources and tips.

"Sextortion cases are completely debilitating for youth and have become all too frequent – and it is happening inside our homes," said Supt. Marc Cochlin, ALERT CEO, in a news release.

"We are hoping this campaign allows us to connect with youth online, and provide education and supporting resources in a manner that is accessible and noteworthy."

ALERT says online child sexual exploitation offences in Alberta have increased by more than 185 per cent in the past five years.

While the ads are designed to connect more with youth, ALERT is also encouraging parents to play a more active role in prevention.

"Studies show that one in three victims of sextortion never told anyone, largely due to embarrassment or shame," said ALERT.

Parents and guardians can find resources and information by visiting buttoutcreeps.ca.