What to Know About Sextortion
A "Driver's Training for Social Media" Explainer
(Note: This article is part of a series we’re publishing to expound on topics from our online social media course) The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) defines sextortion as:
a form of child sexual exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed, most often with the possibility of sharing with the public a nude or sexual images of them, by a person who demands additional sexual content, sexual activity or money from the child.
In January of 2024, the FBI released a warning to educators, parents, and children about the dramatic rise of sextortion reports. Three months later, the NCMEC released statistics on financial sextortion for the first time with statistics combining reports from the public and Electronic Service Providers (ESPs). For our purposes we’re only going to highlight one number from the FBI’s statement: the 20 minors (mostly boys) who took their own lives from October 2021 to March 2023 as a result of the scams.
The Rundown↓
KNOW that online sextortion of teens is becoming more common.
REALIZE that scammers are the ones to blame, not victims.
EXPLORE the FBI’s resource on sextortion or the NCMEC’s website for more information on sextortion or how to get help and report it.
Sextortion scammers use any site or app with chat capabilities like social networks, forums, and gaming sites to converse in private messages. Girls are typically targeted for sexual content or activity while boys are most often targeted for money. It can begin with a direct threat with false claims about already having an explicit image of the victim. Other times it’s perpetrators posing as a romantic interest and manipulating victims into exchanging nudes. Some even offer something of value like game credits or gift cards in return for images or videos.
On top of that, offenders can even use AI to generate images or videos of their fake persona or even the victims themselves. These interactions can spiral out of control quickly. One victim went from introduction to sharing images to becoming so overwhelmed with fear he ended his life in a span of just a few hours.
So how do we protect ourselves from sextortion schemes? Awareness is a great ally. As with any scam, the more we share it with others, the less likely we fall for them. Parents and teens are the front lines of defense.
As parents, we live in a world where hoping for the best without addressing the risks just doesn’t cut it. The FBI calls it “the new version of don’t talk to strangers” and they offer ideas for parents unsure about how to bring it up in conversation.
Our kids and teens need to know parents and trusted adults are there to help. It’s important to emphasize that it’s safe to talk about anything. Why? Because a common theme among scam victims is that they are often too afraid to talk to someone because they are embarrased, they actually shared images of themselves, or they think they’ve done something wrong. Scammers are the ones to blame, not victims.
Social media platforms have responded by making it more difficult for scammers to contact teens. Instagram recently moved users under 16 into teen accounts that restricts messaging from strangers. They also automatically blur nude content.
For those who do encounter scammers online, the first response is to block them and report them. To report, anyone can submit tips to the FBI online, contact their local FBI office, or the NCMEC has made it easier with a CyberTipline that even offers anonymous reporting. The NCMEC also has resources for victims like their “Take it down” website to help get nude images or videos off the internet.
Spread the word! When teens are aware of these dangers, they not only can recognize, block and report scams, but help friends avoid the traps as well.
Quick Notes↓
Sharing nude or semi-nude images or videos is always high risk, no reward. Whether you’re an adult or teen, just don’t do it, even with trusted friends or significant others.
We avoided quoting statistics in this article because direct public reporting is often mixed with (ESP) reporting. The problem is real, but it’s difficult to know the full scope of it when you consider the public is likely under-reporting, the spike effect of awareness campaigns, and increased ESP detection and moderation.