What to do if your child is being groomed online

The moment a parent gives their child a device connected to the internet - whether it be a computer, tablet or mobile phone - they're opening a window to potential predators scouring the internet for their next victim.

More and more Australian teens are falling victims to paedophiles with 'self-produced child exploitation material' a growing and extremely concerning trend among adolescents.

It sees teens upload explicit images of themselves, often coerced by predators through blackmail and extortion and experts say parents need to wise up to what's going on online.

RELATED: The five online safety apps every parent needs to know about

"Parents are the front line of defence of keeping their kid safe online particularly in the home," eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant tells A Current Affair.

"We need to treat our child's online lives the way we do their everyday lives and be engaged in terms of what they are doing online."

While every parent wants to keep their child safe from internet prowlers, many don't know the best way to go about it.

With the help of child safety experts, here are the top tips to protect your child:

Start the conversation: Speak to your children now about what they get up to online and how to detect potential predators who may attempt to make contact.

Research: Parents should look into how to make apps safe for their children to use. Also check that the apps they are using are age appropriate. This eSafety guideline provides information on every app.

Restrict usage areas: Keep children online in common areas of the house where a parent can see what they're doing, not in their bedrooms.

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No chat: Turn off online chat functions and disable webcams.

Internet contract: Create a contract about how your child will behave online in exchange for use of the household wi-fi. An internet contract, done by the Carly Ryan Foundation, can be found here.

The foundation is named in honour of Adelaide school girl Carly Ryan, who at just 15 years old, was groomed then murdered by then 50 year old predator and paedophile Garry Francis Newman, who was posing online as an 18-year-old musician to win Carly’s trust and affection. The Carly Ryan Foundation promotes internet safety through education, counselling and political advocacy.

Gather evidence: If your child is targeted online by a groomer or a bully, gather evidence like screen shots of the abuse.

Report it: Contact police if you suspect suspicious activity online

Don't panic: Experts say it is important not to panic if your child inevitably slips up. Taking their device away is often a bad idea.

"Do not get angry at your child, children, young people we all make mistakes," says Commander Lesa Gale, who runs the Australian Federal Police division tasked with identifying victims in child abuse videos.

WATCH: A Current Affair explores the fight against online predators.

"If you do send that one image and things take a turn, tell someone you trust and we can very quickly intervene and take action, don't let things escalate and send multiple photos," she says.

ESafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant agrees. "Only 50% of young Australians will talk to a trusted adult when something goes wrong online so we need to build that trust," she says.

Other helpful websites include:

https://www.esafety.gov.au/education-resources/iparent  - an online guide for parents 
https://esafety.gov.au/education-resources/classroom-resources/lost-summer - an online game for teens encouraging online safety