Sextortion: What Parents and Young People Need to Know
The alarming rise of financially-motivated sextortion targeting teenagers — how it works, how to respond, and where to get help.
What Is Sextortion?
Sextortion (also called "image-based sexual abuse" or "non-consensual intimate image sharing") is a form of blackmail in which someone threatens to share or publish intimate images or videos of a person unless demands — usually money or more images — are met. It is a criminal offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, the Online Safety Act 2023, and from January 2024, sharing intimate images without consent is a specific criminal offence in England and Wales.
Sextortion affects both girls and boys. The NCA has recorded a significant increase in cases targeting teenage boys, often by organised criminal groups based overseas.
Key Statistics
- CEOP recorded a 94% increase in sextortion reports involving children under 18 between 2022 and 2024
- Financial sextortion targeting boys aged 14–18 is now the fastest-growing form of child sexual exploitation online
- The Internet Watch Foundation removed 275,655 URLs containing child sexual abuse material in 2023 — much linked to image-based coercion
How Sextortion Happens
Sextortion typically follows a pattern:
- A stranger (often posing as an attractive peer) contacts the young person on social media, gaming platforms, or dating apps
- They engage in what appears to be a genuine romantic or friendly exchange
- The young person is persuaded to send an intimate image or video
- The offender immediately threatens to share the image with the victim's contacts, school, or parents unless payment is made or more images provided
- Demands escalate even if payment is made — compliance rarely ends the abuse
What to Do Immediately
If your child (or you) are being sextorted — act NOW:
- Do NOT pay — payment rarely stops threats and confirms the victim can be extorted
- Do NOT send more images
- Report to CEOP: ceop.police.uk (click the "Report" button)
- Report to the platform — use in-app reporting tools to have accounts suspended
- Contact Stop NCII (stopncii.org) — a free tool to help prevent intimate images spreading online
- Contact the Internet Watch Foundation (iwf.org.uk) to have images removed
- Take screenshots of the threats before blocking
- Block the offender — they will likely not follow through on threats once contact is cut
Having the Conversation
Young people who are sextorted often feel extreme shame and fear telling an adult. Reassure your child: they are a victim of a crime, not in trouble. The offender is the criminal. Many young people who experience sextortion do not tell anyone for months — early, non-judgmental conversations about online safety make disclosure far more likely.
Sources: NCA-CEOP, Sextortion (Webcam Blackmail) Guidance (2024); Internet Watch Foundation, Annual Report 2023 (2024); Online Safety Act 2023; Criminal Justice and Courts Act 2015 s.33; Revenge Porn Helpline (2024) — revengepornhelpline.org.uk. Last reviewed: April 2026.