Online Safety for Children and Teens: Detecting and Preventing Sextortion and Sexploitation
Written by Emily Arismendy
What is sextortion and sexploitation?
Sextortion and sexploitation refer to criminal activities where perpetrators coerce or manipulate children and youth into creating and sharing explicit images or videos. Sextortion involves threats to release these explicit materials unless the victim provides more images, money, or other demands. Both forms of exploitation are serious crimes that can lead to severe emotional, psychological, and even physical harm to victims.
Both sextortion and sexploitation are increasingly prevalent today due to the widespread use of the internet and social media among children and youth. The anonymity and accessibility provided by online platforms allow predators to easily connect with potential victims, often posing as peers or trusted individuals. The popularity of digital communication makes it easier for predators to manipulate, deceive, and exploit vulnerable minors. Additionally, the rapid spread of explicit content online creates a higher demand, motivating predators to engage in these criminal activities. The lack of awareness and adequate safeguards worsens the problem, making it crucial to enhance education, monitoring, and protective measures to reduce the harm that results of these crimes.
Why are kids and teens experiencing sextortion at higher rates?
According to Thorn’s 2017 Survey of Sextortion Survivors, 1 in 4 participants reported they were 13 or younger when they were sextorted.
Children especially are heavily targeted by traffickers who utilize various tactics to manipulate victims, including deception, emotional manipulation, coercion, threats, and exploitation of vulnerabilities such as low self-esteem or a need for affection.
Adolescents and young adults are particularly vulnerable to sextortion due to their digital literacy, curiosity, and susceptibility to peer pressure. However, individuals of any age who engage in online activities involving intimate content can become targets.
Vulnerable demographics also include those facing isolation, trauma, or emotional distress, and individuals engaged in online communities where explicit content sharing is normalized.
How can I recognize signs of sextortion?
There are a variety of tactics perpetrators may use. Most commonly, it starts with grooming – a process in which perpetrators engage with youth as a trusted source or friend with the intention of using that trust and/or knowledge of their needs to exploit them. Youth who experience abuse or neglect are often targeted by sexual predators as their wellbeing and basic needs often go unaddressed by other adults in their life.
Tactics used most include:
- Grooming:
- Trust Building: Predators often start by establishing a trusting relationship with the minor. They might pretend to be a peer or someone who shares common interests.
- Flattery and Compliments: They use excessive praise and attention to make the minor feel valued and special.
- Isolation: Encouraging the victim to keep their communication secret and isolating them from friends and family who might intervene.
- Deception:
- Fake Profiles: Creating fake profiles that appear to be those of children or teenagers to create false trust as a peer.
- Impersonation: Sometimes, predators might impersonate a known and trusted person in the victim’s life.
- Psychological Manipulation:
- Threats and Blackmail: Threatening to reveal explicit images or information to friends, family, or the public if the victim does not comply with demands.
- Emotional Manipulation: Exploiting the victim’s emotions, such as guilt or fear, to control them.
- Promises and Rewards:
- False Promises: Promising gifts, money, or romantic relationships in exchange for explicit content.
- Incentivization: Offering rewards for the victim’s cooperation, making them feel like they are gaining something.
- Exploiting Vulnerabilities:
- Targeting Insecurities: Exploiting the victim’s insecurities, such as body image issues or the desire for acceptance and validation.
- Preying on Naivety: Taking advantage of the minor’s lack of awareness about the dangers of sharing personal information and explicit content online.
How has technology enhanced sextortion vulnerability for youth?
Evolving technology, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and deepfakes, is making sextortion and sexploitation worse by enabling predators to create highly realistic fake images and videos. AI tools can manipulate photos and videos to produce lifelike deepfakes, making it easier for predators to deceive and blackmail their victims.
According to a 2021 report by Sensity, 96% of deepfake videos circulated online are pornographic, with many involving non-consensual and underage subjects. Additionally, the FBI reported a significant rise in sextortion cases involving deepfakes, with thousands of complaints and millions of dollars in losses. This technological advancement heightens the threat, emphasizing the need for advanced security measures and awareness to protect young people from exploitation.
What can I do to help prevent sextortion?
Perpetrators of sextortion may face charges such as extortion, harassment, and distribution of child pornography, which can result in imprisonment, fines, and registration as a sex offender. However, enforcement and prosecution can be challenging due to jurisdictional issues and anonymity afforded by the internet. This is why it is crucial to take steps towards prevention and protect our youth from falling victim to these crimes.
Preventing and combating sexploitation and sextortion requires a multifaceted approach encompassing education, awareness, and support services. Safety apps, online safety centers provided by social media platforms, crisis hotlines, and advocacy organizations play a crucial role in providing support and resources to vulnerable individuals.
Parents can safeguard their children by talking to them frankly about online risks, monitoring their online activities, maintaining open communication, setting privacy settings on social media accounts, and utilizing safety apps and parental controls.
What do I do if there are already graphic images of me being circulated online?
If you or someone you know believes that they are being targeted, victims should cease communication with the perpetrator, preserve evidence, report the incident to law enforcement and relevant online platforms, seek support from trusted individuals or organizations, and consider seeking legal assistance.
Safety Tools
Bark (Smartphone App): Bark monitors texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and social media platforms for signs of issues like cyberbullying, sexual content, online predators, depression, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more.
iPhone Family Sharing (free on iPhones)
Life 360 (Smartphone App): Protect and connect your loved ones, pets, & important stuff with Life360’s advanced driving, location, & digital safety features.
Aura (Smartphone App): Protect Your Kids with Aura Parental Controls for iPhone & Android. Filter, block, and monitor websites and apps. Set custom screen time limits for each child. Pause the Internet on their devices with a single tap.
Expect Respect (prevention education): A program of SAFE that works to promote healthy relationships and prevent violence and abuse among children and teens.
Get Help and Reporting
24-hr SAFEline
Call: 512-267-SAFE [7233] | Text: 737-888-7233 | Chat: safeaustin.org/chat
Thorn: https://www.stopsextortion.com/get-help/
CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org
NCMEC helps remove unwanted pictures from the internet
Take It Down: this service is one step you can take to help remove online nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit photos and videos of minors.
Ultimately, addressing the threats of sex trafficking and exploitation demands collective action and a commitment to protecting the most vulnerable members of our society from falling prey to the dark realities of the digital age. Only by shining a light on these crimes and standing united against them can we hope to create a safer, more secure online environment.
