Shocking Rise in the Sextortion of Children
In the first 6 months of 2023, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) received more reports involving ‘sextortion’ than in the whole of 2022 – a 257% increase.
Older teens (14-17 years old) are the most at risk, with boys being targeted most often.
Sexually coerced extortion, or “sextortion” as it’s often referred to, occurs when sexually explicit images are exchanged online and the victim is subsequently blackmailed with threats to share the content with friends and family or more widely on the internet if they don’t pay or provide more nude images.
Boys are tricked by perpetrators pretending to be female peers. The emotional impact of sexual extortion on a child can be devastating, placing vulnerable victims in danger of self harm or suicide.
Click here to read the full report.
How can you help
Ensure children know about Childline’s Report/Remove. Talk through the rise in figures, how it happens and look at the Childline’s Report/Remove page with children
