Teach Your Teens to Protect Themselves from Sextortion

As a parent, I can’t count the number of times I’ve wanted to wrap my child up in a blanket of protection from things like bullying, peer pressure, stress, and anxiety. But as I’ve learned from Dr. Ken Ginsburg, pediatrician and the co-founder of the Center for Parent and Teen Communication, sometimes the best protection for our children is preparation. When it comes to the serious issue of sextortion, preparation and early communication are essential. 

What is Sextortion? 

Sextortion is when someone threatens to reveal or distribute private or sensitive material if you don’t provide them with something in return – often money. It may play out as online blackmail in which predators threaten to share explicit images or nude photos if their demands aren’t met. In recent years, scammers have been stalking and blackmailing more tweens and teens than ever before. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recorded 139 sextortion reports in 2021. In the first half of 2025, they recorded more than 23,000. In recent cases, tween and teenage boys are most often the victims of financial sextortion. 

Technology and crime experts say we must assume that any child with a social media account could be targeted at some point. Scammers may use information they gather about a young person by lurking on social media or by hacking dating apps, for example. They may work, sometimes in groups of people, to gain a child’s trust by pretending they are someone they aren’t – peers or friends. They then use what they find to lure kids into their sextortion schemes. 

Because sex can be a challenging topic for discussion among some parents and their teens, a young person who finds themselves a victim of sextortion may feel so isolated, embarrassed, or overwhelmed that they are unable to tell anyone. They may feel there is no way out. Scammers may aggressively and quickly push a young person, which can lead to tragic consequences. Remind your child there is always hope. 

Communication is Key

While you may not be able to prevent scammers from trying, you can discuss actions tweens and teens can take to help prevent becoming a victim. 

Talk and warn. It’s essential to talk with your child to help them understand what to look out for. If your child understands how a scam works, they’re less likely to fall for it. Talk about different scams online, why people may fall for them, and specific tactics to be on the lookout for. Maybe the “stranger danger” message isn’t as straightforward as it used to be, but it’s worth talking with younger children about strangers – and warning them about the dangers that may lurk behind the screen. 

Share media experiences. Many parents choose not to get involved in their teens’ digital lives for various reasons. Maybe they are intimidated by the technology. Perhaps they’re uninterested in what interests their teens. Or they don’t want their children to think they are spying or hovering. But it’s more important than ever to have them teach you about their screen world. You can be active, engaged, and understanding without prying. And letting them guide you offers a chance to ask them questions. 

Ask questions. Teach and encourage your teen to ask questions about what they encounter, especially when they are being asked to send photos or information about themselves, or to spend money online. Some questions to start with include: Do I actually know this person? Am I being asked to do something that makes me uncomfortable? Are they pressuring me to switch to a different or encrypted platform (think WhatsApp, Snapchat, Signal, Telegram, Discord, or Roblox)?

Be there for them. If your child is targeted or threatened, let them know that if they come to you, they will have a soft landing space and you will be there to support them. If they have made a mistake and done something they regret, remember they are the victim. The blackmailer is to blame. Tell your child, “You will never get in trouble for coming to me to get out of trouble.”

What Your Teen Can Do to Avoid Becoming a Victim

When you speak with your child about what sextortion is and what to look out for, let them know there are actions they can take to reduce their chances of becoming threatened or victimized. 

1. Never send any questionable or compromising images or information about yourself to anyone. Period. Regardless of who you send things to, you never know where they may end up.
2. Don’t open texts, emails, attachments, or click on links from people you don’t know. 
3. Never share personal numbers or private contact information.
4. When not using electronic devices or webcams, turn them off so they cannot be accessed.
5. Keep phones out of the bedroom at night. That reduces the risk of any communication with strangers or predators by eliminating access during hours when you may be more vulnerable and unsupervised.  

Explain to your child that if they do get sextortion threats, they are not alone. They should reach out to a trusted adult right away and report the account to the platform in use. Suggest they take screenshots of any threats or pressure tactics being used. Don’t delete messages, images, or the scammer’s profile, as this evidence may be used by law enforcement to help identify or catch the scammers. Let them know they should not cooperate or pay a blackmailer, as it rarely stops further extortion. Remind them that you are there for them, no matter what. 

If your child, or someone you know, is a victim of sextortion, report the incident using the safety features within the app, contact the local police, the FBI toll-free at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or their cyber tipline.