By Mubina Asaria, Safeguarding Consultant at ed-tech charity LGfL-The National Grid for Learning.
Sexual extortion – often referred to in the media as sextortion – is a rapidly growing form of abuse where perpetrators use intimate images or videos of their victims to threaten, blackmail or manipulate them, often demanding money, further images, or sexualised content. These cases are rising at an alarming rate, and the impact on victims — especially young people — can be devastating.
The perpetrators can range from a child or young person’s peers or partners from previous relationships, to highly organised international crime gangs using fake profiles on a larger scale to financially extort thousands of victims worldwide. An increase in the use of generative AI to generate fake and deep-fake imagery from innocent, non-explicit images, using ‘nudifying’ apps has further exacerbated this issue. We need to ensure that our young people are aware of these dangers and equipped with the tools to protect themselves.
It can take as little as one hour from initial contact, for victims to be coerced into sharing images and the first demands to be made. The impact can be catastrophic and can not only impact a person’s wellbeing, mental and physical health, but have in some cases led to young victims taking their own lives. In 2024, the National Crime Agency’s (NCA’s) Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command (CEOP) Safety Centre, received 380 reports of ‘sextortion’; and police forces received an average of 117 reports from under 18’s during each of the first five months of 2024. According to statistics from the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) , the majority (91%) of these crimes are against boys aged 14-17. Considering that these types of offences are generally underreported, the actual figure is likely to be far higher. Childline’s briefing on Young people’s experiences of online sexual extortion or ‘sextortion’ (Sept 2024) reported that ‘counselling sessions with boys mainly revolved around financial blackmail, whereas girls typically spoke about being pressured to send more nude or semi-nude images rather than money’.
What schools can do
One of the most powerful tools against sexual extortion is raising young people’s awareness of the dangers. NCA-commissioned research showed that ‘74% of boys questioned did not fully understand what sextortion was, the same proportion didn’t see requests for nude images as a warning sign or an attempt at ‘sextortion’, 73% were not aware of how to report incidents and only 12% admitted they may be at risk of ‘sextortion’’.
It’s hugely important for schools to create a positive culture of safeguarding by talking openly and honestly about online relationships and the potential harms of sharing images.
Remember, when a child or young person has shared an image – they have been groomed or manipulated into doing so. Victims often feel it’s their own fault. Offenders are well versed in making them feel they are guilty, in order to dissuade them from seeking help, keep them isolated and illicit more from them.
It’s essential that staff address disclosures in a sensitive and non-judgemental way and avoid victim-blaming narratives – as with any other type of child abuse. They should never be made to feel responsible or complicit. Reassuring them that they are not to blame for what has happened and that help and support is available is also vital.
The key concern for young people who have been sexually extorted, is whether the images can be taken down. Report Remove is a free, online confidential tool enabling them to report an image or video shared online, to see if it’s possible to get it taken down.
Parents and carers can also play a pivotal role in protecting their children from sexual extortion. Having regular conversations about their child’s online life – what apps they’re using now, who they’re chatting with etc, provides opportunities for discussions about online abuse, increasing awareness and understanding. They can also spot changes in their child’s behaviour – signs of anxiety or withdrawal, or unwillingness to interact with friends, which may indicate that something is wrong. The recent campaign by the NCA, to highlight the dangers of sextortion, issued the following advice to parents and carers:
· Do not pay the perpetrator there is no guarantee that this will stop the threats
· Stop all communication and block them on all platforms to prevent further manipulation or harassment
· Avoid deleting anything that could be used as evidence such as messages, images, telephone numbers, and bank account details
· Report to the police or to CEOP. Call 101 or 999 if there is an immediate risk of harm to the child. Use the CEOP Safety Centre to report any online blackmail attempts.
International cooperation has resulted in the arrests of members of organised crime gangs involved in sexual exploitation, but online threats continue. Raising awareness and equipping our young people with the knowledge, understanding and skills to identify potential harms online will help keep them safe in our increasingly digital world. LGfL delivers free training for schools via Online Sexual Abuse and Harms training.
For further support and resources, please visit LGfL lgfl.net/Safeguarding/saferesources. For information on generative AI please visit genAI.lgfl.net.
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