Mubina Asaria, is Safeguarding Consultant at ed-tech charity LGfL-The National Grid for Learning.
Cases of sexual extortion, sometimes referred to as ‘sextortion’ – where intimate, naked or sexual photos or videos are used to blackmail or extort money or further images from the victim – are increasing at an alarming rate. The perpetrators can range from a child or young person’s peers or partners from previous relationships, to highly organised international crime gangs working on larger scale financial extortion involving thousands of victims worldwide. 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. These kinds of online sexual harms 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.
In situations where the sexual extortion is perpetrated by a stranger online, the victim is usually befriended via social media and messaging platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Reddit, or through gaming sites, although this can happen on any messaging system, ‘safe’ or otherwise. Using fake profiles, they chat and rapidly build an online friendship, finding common likes and connections, and encourage the victim to chat or text privately, before suggesting exchanging semi-nude or naked photos or video. Once the victim has sent the images, the flirting stops, and threats and demands begin.
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’.
Evidence gathered by the IWF indicates an increase in the use of generative AI to generate fake and deep-fake imagery from innocent, non-explicit images, using ‘nudifying’ apps to facilitate online abuse and sextortion. These images are then used to extort money from the victim, or blackmail them into sending intimate images of themselves, in order to stop the deepfake images being circulated on social media.
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. Be aware that some of those receiving online safety education may have already experienced harm. All concerns must be taken seriously, and staff must be familiar and consistent in managing and responding to disclosures to avoid victim blaming.
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, and they are responsible for the situation they find themselves in. 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. The persistent threat of exposure can leave young people struggling with mental health issues, including anxiety, stress, difficulty sleeping and even thoughts of self-harm and suicide.
It’s important that staff know how to respond when a child or young person reports this type of abuse. All disclosures should be addressed in a sensitive and non-judgemental way – as with any other type of child sexual abuse. They should never be made to feel responsible or complicit. It’s important to reassure them that they are not to blame for what has happened and that help and support is available.
Language is crucial in avoiding victim-blaming and retraumatising the child or young person. Unhelpful statements such as: You should have told me what was going on. You put yourself at risk by going on those apps. Don’t you remember our online safety discussion? Why did you take that photo anyway? places the responsibility back on the victim, reinforcing what they have been told by the perpetrator.
If the young person does not feel heard they are less likely to have the confidence to report abuse in the future. Victim blaming attitudes and narratives can also prevent families, friends and the wider society from recognising the abuse.
Schools should also be mindful of the terminology used in their safeguarding policies and practice, and discussion with children. Whilst the term ‘sextortion’ is often used colloquially and in the media, the recently updated Terminology Guidelines by ECPAT, recommends practitioners avoid using this in favour of ‘sexual extortion of children’, as it does not clearly describe that it is a matter of sexual exploitation against a child, and risks trivialising a practice that can produce extremely serious consequences.
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. Provided by Childline and IWF, it keeps the young person informed at each stage of their report, and provides further support where necessary.
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 deliver free training for schools via Online Sexual Abuse and Harms training. For further support and resources, please visit LGfL https://lgfl.net/Safeguarding/saferesources. For information on generative AI please visit https://genAI.lgfl.net.
