What is ‘sextortion’ and why are young people concerned about it?

Young people don’t always like to talk about their digital lives – especially if that conversation is with a parent.

This is why we work with VoiceBox, a youth content platform whose contributors – aged between 13 and 25 – offer unique and eye-opening insights into online trends and relationships. Often, this can be our early warning system for emerging harms. 

In a recent article, VoiceBox reported on the rise of ‘sextortion’ – a term to describe the extortion of people for money through the threat of exposing sexual images. This is no small concern. In 2024, the National Crime Agency issued a warning about a ‘considerable’ increase in global cases. So what do you need to know?

How does sextortion happen?

Young people can often be targeted on dating sites and social media platforms. 

For example, an offender might strike up a ‘fast and intense’ relationship with a victim (aka ‘love bombing’) – requesting nude images before threatening to leak them online. 

In some cases, victims may have had videos or images captured without consent, and in others the ‘images’ being used to threaten may not even exist.

Usually victims will be asked for money, but sextortion can be used to coerce or manipulate in other ways.

The rise of AI

AI technology is another factor in the rise of sextortion. 

Last year, the UK police lead for AI said they had to “move fast” to keep on top of the threat of deepfake technology. 

Generative AI can be used to ‘nudify’ or modify images taken from online – for example, adding someone’s face to sexual images or video. This means someone could become a target for sextortion simply by doing something as innocent as posting a selfie on their social account.

Organised crime

VoiceBox’s article also explains how professional scammers are now working at a more industrial scale – with ‘sextortion farms’ operating multiple scams from single locations. 

The United Nations estimates there could be as many as 400 of these farms in the Philippines alone – being used to target multiple victims and with financial goals to hit. 

Likewise, Instagram reports that it has removed 63,000 accounts linked to sextortion in Nigeria. 

What can you do?

While sextortion remains an emerging harm, if your child uses dating or social media apps, they are potentially at risk. It can also occur in other spaces, like online games. 

Of course, turning this into a conversation may not be straightforward. Your child may be uncomfortable or embarrassed to talk to you about what they do in social or dating apps, or about online relationships they have formed – especially if they’re of a romantic nature. 

One way to approach it might be to share the VoiceBox article – which has advice for under-18s about sextortion. It could help your child understand some of the risks and know what to do, while also creating an opportunity to talk to you about it.  

If your child is a victim of sextortion, there are steps that can be taken.

- Call the police if your child is in immediate danger.

- Report the incident to the police. Your child can report it themselves to CEOP or you can report on their behalf. 

- Tell your child to preserve the evidence. For example, save or screenshot messages from the offender, so that they can be brought as evidence to the authorities. However, do not save or share any sexual imagery, as it is illegal to possess sexual images of anyone aged under 18. 

- Tell your child to stop any further communication with the offender. Don't be tempted to intervene and communicate with them directly yourself. 

- Tell your child not to pay the offender – and don’t do so yourself. If you or your child has already made payment, report it to Action Fraud and your bank. 

- Change passwords. Don’t take any risks. Tell your child to update passwords on  their online accounts and ensure they have two-factor authentication set-up where possible. Find out more here.

Make sure your child knows how and where to seek emotional support. You may also feel in need of support so remember to take care of yourself as well . Click here to find out about support services that can help.