Bukit aman: Parents are urged to watch for changes in their children's routines or behaviour to help prevent them from falling victim to online sexual offences and sextortion. Bukit Aman's Sexual, Women and Child Investigation Division D11 principal assistant director SAC Siti Kamsiah Hassan warned that cyber threats can now reach homes through digital devices, showing that the current crime trend is no longer limited to public spaces.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, Siti Kamsiah advised parents to pay attention to shifts in their children's behaviour, particularly if they become less physically active and spend more time on online platforms and games. She noted that children are increasingly engaging in the digital world, and it is crucial for parents to be aware of their digital interactions.
She emphasized that parents should not assume that a child who isolates themselves in their room is merely a 'good child' and stressed the importance of monitoring their activities. She made these remarks after attending the 'Internet Selamat, Tanggungjawab Semua' forum in conjunction with Safer Internet Day (HKI) 2026 at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa.
HKI 2026, organized by the Ministry of Communications and led by the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), is part of a global observance of International Safer Internet Day, which takes place annually in over 170 countries.
Siti Kamsiah warned that emotional changes in children, such as social withdrawal, frequent crying, or signs of depression, could be early indicators of sextortion. She shared that victims often become isolated, and changes in behaviour and emotions, such as frequent crying, occur after being groomed, increasing the risk of sextortion.
In a related development, she revealed a significant rise in sexual crimes involving children, with an average of 1,500 cases reported nationwide each year. Many cases are only detected at the final stage, when victims may be pregnant, have fled home, or are identified by third parties like doctors or schools.
She further explained that children are susceptible to manipulation through digital devices, and if changes in behaviour are not identified early, the risk of mental stress or self-harm is high. Siti Kamsiah urged parents not to be complacent and to equip themselves with digital parenting knowledge to address the complexities of cybercrime trends.
She highlighted the importance of this issue, noting that numerous cases involved child sexual crimes, with over 880,000 digital files containing child sexual abuse material seized during the integrated Ops Pedo 2.0 operation as of September last year.