Following a tip from Queensland Police, NSW police have dismantled an alleged child sexual exploitation syndicate in Sydney.
David Vaile, co-convener of the UNSW Cyberspace Law and Policy Community, told SBS the amount of criminal content online was greater than many Australians would realise.
"The tendency for parents is to freak out when they hear about a sex crime involving social media and they can alienate themselves from their children when they do overreact," he said.
"The more that you can encourage their own self-respect and encourage them to communicate, the more likely they can do something about it, and you can help them."
The federal government has established an E Commissioner, to deal exclusively with youth at risk online.
A report published by the commissioner revealed 4,000 links to child exploitation had been removed between June and December 2015, all within two days.
"The E Commissioner was established to deal directly with some of those offshore social networking companies, that otherwise are difficult to engage with on issues like safety on a case by case basis," Mr Vaile said.
By Friday, NSW Police had arrested five people after months of online investigation, disrupting an alleged syndicate involved in crimes including arranging sexual intercourse between an adult and child.
Detective Inspector Linda Howlett told media on Monday some of the charges laid against the four Sydney-based men and one woman involved bestiality.
"In October and November and as of last Friday we have arrested five persons with a number of offences related to incite sexual intercourse with a child, possess child exploitation material," she said.
The investigation began with Queensland Police in June; they contacted their NSW counterparts when they discovered a man under investigation may have links in Sydney.
Police seized child abuse material during their arrests at various Sydney homes in recent months.
Three men, aged 61, 50 and 47, and one 45 year-old woman have been refused bail and are in custody to appear in court on March 14 and 18.
The woman in the group, who was arrested in Penrith with a man, was charged with bestiality and conspiracy to organise sexual intercourse between an adult and a child under 10.
The latest alleged offender was apprehended by police on Friday at his workplace in Macquarie Park, a business centre in northwest Sydney.
It will also be alleged one of the men had planned a meeting with the intention of engaging in sexual activity with an infant.
One of more than 10 children identified by police in their investigation was the grandchild of one of the alleged offenders.
"The unit will continue to have a strong presence in the online environment to target people who use the internet to locate and target children," Detective Inspector Howlett said.
"I would urge any person with information about the suspicious online activities of any person to report it to police immediately."
Police ask that members of the public call Crime Stoppers on 1300 555 000, and not report any suspicious online activity via Facebook or Twitter.
