The FBI has seen an alarming increase in the number of cases involving children and teens being threatened and coerced into sending explicit images online—a crime called sextortion. Parents and teachers should be aware that teenage boys have been the most common targets in these recent cases.

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) received more than 186,800 reports of online enticement in 2023. Between 2021 and 2023, the number of reports increased by more than 300%. Alarmingly, in 2024 (through early October), NCMEC received more than 456,000 reports of online enticement. The FBI needs parents and caregivers to work to prevent these crimes before it happens and help children come forward if it does.

Children are exposed to strangers online, everywhere and every day. Keep your child/student aware of the RED FLAGS of sextortion criminals. Teach them to be wary of online ‘friends’ who:

  • Move their communications with the child from one online platform to another (from social media to private video chat or messaging apps)
  • Reciprocate (“I’ll show you, if you show me”)
  • Pretend to work for a modeling agency to obtain sexual images of the child
  • Develop a bond with the child by establishing a friendship/romantic relationship
  • Use multiple false online identities to contact a child.
  • Pretend to be younger and/or a member of the opposite sex
  • Access the child’s online account without authorization and stealing sexual images or videos of the child
  • Threaten to create sexual images or videos of the child using digital-editing tools.

Parents, teachers and counselors need to teach and re-teach kids how to stay safe online. Savvy Cyber Kids cyber security and cyber safety messages to the youngest of children are rooted in the importance of privacy. You can learn more from Savvy Cyber Kids in our book, Digital Parenting By The Ages.

Remember to be open and non-judgmental so children know they can come to you and ask for help. Let them know that your first move will be to help—always.

Online criminals are powerful because of fear, and the victims suffer increasingly negative consequences as the crime carries on over days, weeks, and months. If you are the adult a child trusts with this information, comfort them, help them understand they have been the victim of a crime, and help them report it to law enforcement.

Conversation Starters for Kids

  1. When you’re online, has anyone you don’t know ever tried to contact or talk to you? What did you do or what would you do if that happened?
  2. Why do you think someone would want to reach a kid online?
  3. Has anyone you know ever sent a picture of themselves that got passed around school or a team or club?
  4. What’s possible anytime you send someone a picture? What if that picture were embarrassing?  Can you think about how someone could use that kind of picture against a person?
  5. I read an article today about kids being pressured to send images and video of their bodies to a person they met online. Have you ever heard about anything like that? Sometimes they were being threatened and harassed—scary stuff. You know, if you are ever feeling like something is going on—online or off—that feels scary or wrong or over your head, my first concern is going to be helping you. You can always come to me.

Learn More:

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