Sextortion is a type of child sexual exploitation where minors are blackmailed with the threat of public sharing of nude or sexual images of them by a person who demands more images, sexual activity or money from the child. This can happen when a child has shared an image with someone OR when someone creates fake explicit content of the child.

In 2023, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children received 26,718 reports of financial sextortion, up from 10,731 reports in 2022.

You may think that your kid would never do this or that you talk to your kids about cyber dangers and that they know better. And you may be right, but the criminals are REALLY GOOD at what they do. And your kids, well, they are children who can be led astray and will not know what to do when their world is crashing down on them. You need to understand how sextortion can happen, work to prevent it AND know how to support your child or student if your worst nightmare happens.

It starts by making a connection and becoming ‘friends’. The victim thinks they know the criminal; but this is typically someone the young person only ‘knows’ online.

  • THEY MAKE CONTACT on a game or social media platform, using it to learn about the child’s interests, friends, school, family, etc. They then ask the child to move to a second or third platform that uses encrypted messaging systems.
  • THEY COERCE by offering something of value in exchange for sexual material, pretending to work for a modeling agency, pretending to be younger and appear to have a romantic interest, creating fake sexual material of the child or hacking accounts to steal sexual images.
  • THEY THREATEN to spread the image to force the victim into sending additional sexual content or obtaining money from the child. They may also threaten to physically assault the child or their family or ruin the child’s life with false narratives about their personhoods and future.

The FBI agents who work on these cases want kids to:

  • Be selective about what you share online. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you.
  • Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.
  • Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that people are who they claim to be. Images can be altered or stolen. In some cases, predators have even taken over the social media accounts of their victims.
  • Be suspicious if you meet someone on one game or app and this person asks you to start talking on a different platform.
  • Be in the know. Any content you create online—whether it is a text message, photo, or video—can be made public. And nothing actually “disappears” online. Once you send something, you don’t have any control over where it goes next.
  • Be willing to ask for help. If you are getting messages or requests online that don’t seem right, block the sender, report the behavior to the site administrator, or go to an adult. If you have been victimized online, tell someone.

If young people are being exploited, they are the victim of a crime and should report it. Contact your local FBI field office, call 1-800-CALL-FBI, or report it online at tips.fbi.gov. The FBI also has staff dedicated to assisting victims of crime. Learn more about our Victim Services Division and know your rights if you are the victim of sextortion and your images have been posted online.

Conversation Starters for Kids

  1. Why do you think nudes have become so common today with people your age?
  2. Do you or your friends experience peer pressure to send suggestive images?
  3. If you send a nude, what’s the best and worst possible outcomes?
  4. How could an image taken of you today have a negative impact on your future?
  5. What are you already doing to stay safe online? What more could you be doing?
  6. What’s the difference between real IRL friends and friends online?

Learn More

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