In 2023, NCMEC received 26,718 reports of financial sextortion. This is a big increase from 10,731 reports in 2022. Sextortion is a growing threat and teenagers and young adults are often the targets. What’s sextortion? It’s a cybercrime where a perpetrator manipulates a target into paying money or performing certain acts in front of a camera out of fear of public humiliation. The perpetrator threatens to leak sexually explicit photos or videos if the target doesn’t comply with demands.

Sextortion has a serious effect on the mental health of young people. It can leave them feeling embarrassed, violated, and afraid. It is important to know how to prevent sextortion and find ways to reduce the risks of young people falling victim to this type of cybercrime.
Table of Contents
How does Sextortion Happen?
Sextortion may begin when connecting innocently with another person online. This may happen on a social media app, gaming platform, or dating app. Perpetrators will pose as friends or romantic interests. They may convince a male teenager that they are a young female. As conversions progress, they may slowly start to introduce sexual topics. Young people may be persuaded to share explicit photos without realizing they are falling for a sextortion scam. Capturing and saving these photos gives a perpetrator material to manipulate the young person.
A teenager may ask “I paid a sextortionist. Why is the person asking for more money?” They need to be aware that they should never comply with the demands of a sextortionist – meaning digital evidence is never really destroyed. Falling for a sextortion scam can have serious consequences. The person is likely to continue making demands due to the permanent nature of the information.
Addressing the Growing Threat of Sextortion
To address the growing threat of sextortion there must be collaboration between educational institutions, parents, and law enforcement. Together they can all play a part in educating young people on how to avoid sextortion. It is not a one-person effort that can control this menace so the combined effort of various parties is important.
Raise Awareness of Risks
Parents can help to create a safer online environment for young people by raising awareness of risks. They can talk to them about sextortion and the tactics perpetrators use. For example, the blackmailers often include the contact details of a target’s family or friends in threats. Some red flags on online profiles may be having a low number of followers and few photos. When young people know what signs like this to look for, it can help to protect them and ensure maximum sextortion online safety.
Teachers can also play a role in educating young people about issues such as online safety. They can stress the importance of not sharing private information online. Teaching young people that videos and photos aren’t proof that a person is who they say they are can give them more discernment when interacting online.
Law enforcement can also help to educate students about potential risks and encourage reporting of sextortion. Victims should feel confident that they can get sextortion help from law enforcement.
Maintain Open Lines of Communication
All age groups and genders can be targets of sextortion but teenage males are at most risk. It can affect their relationships, mental health, and trust. Most young people are reluctant to talk to adults about sexual issues or get help with sextortion. Perpetrators rely on the fact that young people are unlikely to tell anyone when they are caught in the abuse cycle.
Parents need to maintain open lines of communication with teenagers. They should feel safe to talk about their concerns without judgment. When they feel free to talk to parents about issues like sextortion it removes the leverage perpetrators have on them.
When it comes to sextortion, online safety can come from knowing how to set boundaries. Parents can help young people to understand the meaning of consent. They can give young people an understanding of what’s appropriate and what isn’t.
Parents can teach young people how to manage privacy settings on their devices and social media accounts. Only sharing posts with friends on social media and accepting friend requests from people they know can reduce the risks of becoming victims.
Young people need to be aware that photos and videos remain online permanently. They should never share images or videos they wouldn’t want family members or friends to see. Parents can make teenagers aware that they should always think twice before they post or send anything online to someone, especially strangers. They should know that it is illegal to share sexual images of young people.

What should Young People do if they Face the threat of Sextortion?
If someone demands sexual images or videos or threatens them online it is not okay. They should immediately stop all contact with the person.
- They should keep evidence of threats by taking screenshots or printing out messages. This is proof they can show to a trusted adult.
- Young people should block a potential blackmailer and report the profile on the online platform. Most social media platforms have safety features that allow for reporting of profiles.
- They should never send money as this is unlikely to stop the blackmail.
- They should tell a trusted adult what has happened. This may be anyone from a family member or teacher to a counselor or coach. They shouldn’t have to deal with a problem that isn’t their fault on their own. It is a crime and they are not to blame.
- Reporting perpetrators can help police catch them and stop them from continuing to harm other young people.
Conclusion
Sextortion is easy to deploy from a distance and at high volume. The risk-to-reward ratio for perpetrators is high. These are some of the reasons why it is on the rise. Money plays a role in most cases but payment is no guarantee that the blackmail will end. It requires a concerted effort from parents, educational institutions, and law enforcement to deal with this issue. Young people need to understand that paying the ransom is unlikely to stop the abuse. If they break the silence, it takes away any leverage the sextortionist has on them.
Updated: October 9, 2024 by Michael Kahn