It can happen all too quickly. A young kid or teen will be online talking with someone they think is their friend and before they know it, they’re caught in a web of threats and blackmail, and they don’t know how to free themselves. 

Sadly, it’s a growing threat facing young people: sextortion.

Sextortion is a form of online sexual exploitation where someone tricks or pressures a child or teen into sharing sexual images, then threatens to share those images unless the child gives them more pictures, videos or money.

Law enforcement and child protection experts have been sounding the alarm about the exponential increase in sextortion cases. In 2024, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received more than 456,000 reports of “online enticement,” a category that includes sextortion. That number had more than doubled since the previous year. And in June 2025, the Wisconsin State Assembly passed a bill named “Bradyn’s Law” — named after a 15-year-old Wisconsin boy who took his own life after falling victim to online exploitation — that would make sextortion specifically a crime and increase penalties for perpetrators.

Here’s what kids and parents need to know about this rising trend.

How Does Sextortion Happen?

Predators use platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, Roblox, Discord and other gaming sites and messaging apps to connect with their victims and then exploit them. Often, predators pose as peers or friends, using fake photos or identities to appear friendly and attractive in order to gain a young person’s trust. They might then move the conversation to another platform and share explicit photos before asking for images in return. Predators might also offer gaming credits or gift cards in exchange for nude photos or videos. They prey on teens’ impulsivity and use fear-based tactics, like threatening to send the victim’s content to everyone they know or harm the victim's family if they don’t comply with demands.

While kids in these cases are often extorted by strangers online, sometimes from other countries, they can also be sexually exploited by someone they know offline.

Unfortunately, kids don’t even need to send sexual content to become victims. The rise of AI-generated “deepfakes” — photos and videos digitally manipulated to look real — give predators even more potential blackmail material. The shame and embarrassment can be devastating for kids, leading to suicidal thoughts and actions.  

It's important to remember that no matter what was shared, your child is never to blame. Predators are experts at manipulation.

Who Is at Risk?

In a recent survey, one in five teens reported being a victim of sextortion, according to a 2025 report by the child safety nonprofit Thorn. The most frequent victims were ages 13-15, though some victims reported their first experience with sextortion happening at age 12 or even younger.

“The nature of demands differs between groups, with girls and LGBTQIA+ youth most likely to face threats for additional sexual imagery, while boys were most likely to be targeted for money,” the report noted. Of those victimized, one in seven reported harming themselves as a result of the abuse.

How To Keep Kids Safe

Sextortion often happens quickly, leaving little time for parental intervention, so it’s important to have open and ongoing communication with kids about online safety. It’s helpful to be aware of your child’s online activity and to set healthy screen time limits.

Encourage your child to tell you immediately if their online safety is threatened or if they have an interaction that seems a little “off.” Reassure them that if they do find themselves in a difficult situation, you will not get mad and you will work together to solve it. In sextortion cases, predators try to make kids feel hopeless.

Check out the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s online safety education program Netsmartz, which offers age-appropriate videos and other resources to help kids learn about sextortion and other online risks.  

What if It Happens to Your Teen?

If you find out your child is a victim of sextortion, first reassure them that they are not in trouble and they are not alone. Predators are master manipulators, and it can be easy to get deceived online or to make a mistake that quickly spirals out of control.

Tell your child not to delete images or messages because they might be needed to prosecute the predator. It’s important to report the incident to protect others. You can report the incident to:

• Local law enforcement
  
  
• National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. The center’s Take It Down website can also help when a victim’s nude photos or videos are already online.
  
  
• The Wisconsin Department of Justice’s Speak Up, Speak Out 24/7 tipline at speakup.widoj.gov, call 1-800-MY-SUSO-1 or text “SUSO” to 738477.

It’s vital to make sure that kids have mental and behavioral health support after this type of traumatic experience. The Craig Yabuki Mental Health Center at Children’s Wisconsin offers many resources, including walk-in mental health clinics in Kenosha, Milwaukee and Green Bay that offer same-day care for kids facing a crisis as well as Behavioral Health Consultants at every Children’s Wisconsin primary care office.

If your child is having suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or text "Hopeline" to the National Crisis Text Line at 741-741.

Sextortion can be frightening for families, but it’s not hopeless. By staying informed and keeping open communication with your child, you can help protect them and make sure they know they’re never alone.