In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 26,718 reports of financial sextortion. That’s up from 10,731 reports in 2022. Sextortion is a growing threat, and teenagers and young adults are its most common targets. It’s a cybercrime where a perpetrator manipulates a victim into paying money or performing acts on camera by threatening to release sexually explicit photos or videos if they don’t comply.
Table of Contents
- How Does Sextortion Happen?
- Addressing the Growing Threat of Sextortion
- Raise Awareness of Risks
- Maintain Open Lines of Communication
- What Should Young People Do If They Face a Sextortion Threat?
Sextortion takes a serious toll on the mental health of young people. Victims often feel embarrassed, violated, and afraid. Understanding how to prevent it and reduce the risks of falling victim is essential.
How Does Sextortion Happen?
Sextortion often begins with what seems like an innocent connection online. It can happen on a social media platform, gaming app, or dating site. Perpetrators pose as friends or romantic interests, sometimes convincing a teenage boy that they are a young woman. As conversations progress, they gradually introduce sexual topics. Young people may be persuaded to share explicit photos before they realize they’ve fallen for a sextortion scheme. Once a perpetrator captures and saves those images, they have the material they need to begin manipulation.
A teenager might wonder: “I paid a sextortionist. Why are they asking for more?” They need to know that they should never comply with a sextortionist’s demands. Digital evidence is never truly destroyed. Falling for a sextortion scam can have serious consequences. Because the compromising material is permanent, perpetrators will continue making demands.
Addressing the Growing Threat of Sextortion
Combating sextortion requires collaboration between schools, parents, and law enforcement. No single party can address this threat alone. When these groups work together, they can meaningfully educate young people on how to recognize and avoid sextortion.
Raise Awareness of Risks
Parents can help create a safer online environment by talking openly with young people about sextortion and the tactics perpetrators use. For example, blackmailers often include contact details of a target’s family or friends in their threats. Warning signs on online profiles include a low follower count and very few photos. When young people know what red flags to look for, they’re better equipped to protect themselves.
Teachers also play an important role. They can stress the importance of not sharing private information online and teach young people that videos and photos aren’t proof that someone is who they claim to be. That kind of critical thinking goes a long way when navigating online interactions.
Law enforcement can educate students about potential dangers and encourage reporting. Victims need to feel confident they can seek help from police without shame or blame.
Maintain Open Lines of Communication
Sextortion can affect people of all ages and genders, but teenage males are at the highest risk. It damages relationships, mental health, and trust. Most young people are reluctant to talk to adults about sexual issues, and perpetrators count on that silence. The abuse cycle depends on victims staying quiet.
Parents need to maintain open, judgment-free communication with teenagers. When young people feel safe talking about concerns like sextortion, it strips away the leverage perpetrators rely on.
Part of online safety is knowing how to set boundaries. Parents can help young people understand consent and develop a clear sense of what’s appropriate in digital interactions.
Parents can teach young people how to manage privacy settings on their devices and social media accounts. Limiting posts to friends only and accepting requests only from people they know personally can significantly reduce the risk of becoming a target.
Young people should understand that photos and videos posted or shared online can remain there permanently. They should never share images or videos they wouldn’t want family members to see. Before sending anything to someone online, especially a stranger, it’s worth pausing to think about the consequences. Sharing sexual images of minors is illegal, full stop.
What Should Young People Do If They Face a Sextortion Threat?
If someone demands sexual images or videos, or makes threats online, the right response is immediate. Stop all contact with that person.
- Keep evidence of the threats by taking screenshots or printing out messages. This documentation can be shown to a trusted adult or law enforcement.
- Block the potential blackmailer and report their profile on the platform. Most social media sites have safety features specifically for this.
- Never send money. Payment almost never stops the blackmail.
- Tell a trusted adult. That could be a parent, teacher, counselor, or coach. Young people shouldn’t have to handle something that isn’t their fault alone. This is a crime, and they are not to blame.
- Reporting perpetrators helps police catch them and prevents them from targeting other young people.
Sextortion is easy to deploy remotely and at scale. The risk-to-reward ratio for perpetrators is high, which is a key reason it’s increasing. Money is a factor in most cases, but paying is no guarantee the abuse will end. Addressing this threat requires a coordinated effort from parents, schools, and law enforcement. Young people need to understand that payment rarely stops the harassment. Breaking the silence is one of the most powerful things a victim can do. It removes the leverage a sextortionist depends on.
