What is sextortion and how can we protect young people from it?
Sextortion has been in the news a lot lately. Increasing reports of young people being targeted and the devastating consequences that this can have on their lives led the National Crime Agency (NCA) to issue an unprecedented alert to UK schools about the rise in risk of sextortion.
Those of us supporting young people need to be aware of the issue and feel confident in knowing how to help victims of sextortion and prevent it from happening to others. To help with this, this blog will look at:
- What sextortion is
- The scale of the problem
- Its impact on children and young people
- How to support them
- Helpful resources and reporting mechanisms
What is sextortion?
Sextortion is a form of intimate image abuse. It involves someone being manipulated or pressured into taking a ‘nude’ or semi-nude photo or video. The images and videos are then used to blackmail the individual, demanding further sexual content or money. Often, the content is threatened to be shared with family and friends, on social media, and with other contacts.
Recent reports have also shown how AI is increasingly being used to generate child sexual abuse imagery online which can then also be used to blackmail people.
How big is the problem?
Increasing reports have been made of sextortion targeting young people:
- Revenge Porn Helpline documented a continuous rise in this form of blackmail, with sextortion cases increasing by 54% compared to 2022.
- The Internet Watch Foundation revealed a record number of sextortion cases reported to the hotline in 2023, with reports of sextortion rising by 257% compared with the whole of 2022, mainly affecting teenage boys.
What is the impact of sextortion?
Sextortion can have a real and lasting impact on young people’s lives, including:
- High levels of stress
- Depression
- Anxiety
- Low self-esteem
- Paranoia
- Guilt
- Shame and embarrassment
- Feeling unsafe
- In some cases, children and young people have tragically died by suicide.
How do we support children and young people who are victims of sextortion?
- Reassure them they are not alone and that people are there to help them
- Avoid victim-blaming – they are not responsible for their abuse and have been manipulated into sharing an image
- Support them to remove or prevent images from being shared online by using the report/remove tools listed below
- Support them to build their digital literacy and skills to keep themselves safe online now and in the future
- Ensure they know about the local and national mental health supports available to them, including the Samaritans on 116 123, text ‘SHOUT’ to 85258, download the Stay Alive App, phone Childline on 0800 1111, and Breathing Space on 0800 83 85 87. The Revenge Porn Helpline is also available for victims (18+) of intimate image abuse who live in the UK. Call 0345 6000 459 from 10.00 am – 4.00 pm, Monday to Friday, or email help@revengepornhelpline.org.uk
Helpful resources and supports
- “So You Got Naked Online” – A resource that helps and advises young people who have lost control over intimate content and who it’s being shared with.
- Sextortion – Resources – A range of resources from the UK Safer Internet Centre for professionals, parents, and carers on online sexual abuse.
- ThinkUKnow – A website from the National Crime Agency’s CEOP Command about keeping children and young people safe online.
- UK Safer Internet Centre – Promoting the safe and responsible use of technology for young people, including guides on coerced online child sexual abuse.
- RSHP resources – There is content within the RSHP resource that can help to deliver key messages about the problem and raise awareness with learners across primary and secondary, including: Safe and Happy Online, Being Smart Online, Sending and Sharing Images, and Abuse and Relationships.
Reporting and removal mechanisms
Online sexual exploitation and abuse are illegal and violate the terms of social media platforms. Reporting it can help remove the image or video and prevent the perpetrator from targeting other victims. Ways to report sextortion or remove the content include:
- Report to the police: Call 999 or 111 in non-emergency cases. CEOP Safety Centre can also be used to report online blackmail attempts.
- Report Remove – A reporting tool for young people (under 18) to confidentially report sexual images and videos of themselves and get help to remove them from the internet.
- Stop NCII (Non-Consensual Intimate Image Abuse) – A free tool to help those aged 18+ remove images from being shared online.
- Take It Down – A tool from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Use this to remove or stop the online sharing of images or videos.
- Report to the social media or gaming platform – Report the account to the platform that the account is on. ThinkUKnow has guidance around reporting to a range of social media platforms. If you don’t get a good response from the platform, report it to Report Harmful Content who will support you.
You can download our Sextortion newsletter so you have all of these resources to hand:

Share this blog