Sextortion: What Parents and Teens Need to Know, and What to Do

Sextortion is blackmail: someone threatens to share a young person’s private or sexual images unless they send money, gift cards or more images. The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) reports a sharp rise in cases where the goal is money, and teenage boys are now the group most often targeted. This guide explains how it works and what a family should do in the first hour. It is written for parents, and teens can read it too. Checked October 25, 2026 against NCMEC and FBI guidance.

How sextortion usually starts

NCMEC describes a pattern that repeats across many cases:

• A stranger, often posing as a teen of the opposite sex, follows or friends a young person on social media or in a game.
• The person flirts, builds trust quickly, and asks for a private photo very soon after first contact, sometimes offering one of their own first.
• They push to move the chat to another app or a video call.
• Once they have an image, the tone changes at once. They threaten to send it to friends, family or the school unless they’re paid, often within minutes or hours.

Some blackmailers never had a real image at all. They may use photos stolen from a hacked account, or threaten to make fake images with editing or AI tools.

Warning signs for parents

• Your teen suddenly seems panicked, withdrawn or afraid after using their phone.
• They ask for money or gift cards without a clear reason, or you see unusual payment app activity.
• They mention a new online friend they’ve never met who already knows a lot about them.
• They stop using a favorite app abruptly, or delete accounts.

What to do: step by step

1. Stay calm and make it clear your child is not in trouble. NCMEC’s message to young people is simple: the blackmailer is to blame, not you. Your reaction in the first few minutes decides whether your teen keeps talking to you.
2. Don’t pay. NCMEC warns that cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail. Paying usually leads to more demands.
3. Stop replying, but keep the evidence. Don’t delete the account or the conversation yet. Write down the blackmailer’s usernames, profile links and any payment details they demanded. You can screenshot the threats and the profile, but never screenshot, save or forward any sexual image of a minor, not even to report it.
4. Report and block in the app. Use the app’s safety or report feature on the account, then block it. Our App and Game Guides show where these settings are.
5. Report to NCMEC. File a report at report.cybertip.org or call 1-800-843-5678. NCMEC shares reports with law enforcement. You can also contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov, or your local police.
6. Get the images taken down. NCMEC’s free Take It Down tool helps remove or block sexual images of people under 18 on participating platforms. It works from a digital fingerprint of the image created on your own device, so the image itself isn’t uploaded.
7. Support your teen afterward. Check in over the following days. A school counselor, doctor or therapist can help, and NCMEC’s Team HOPE connects families with others who have been through it.

Watch for “recovery” scams

Some companies advertise that they can stop a blackmailer or erase images for a fee. Be very careful. The tools that work, NCMEC’s CyberTipline and Take It Down, are free. Never pay anyone who promises to make the problem disappear. See our guide to recovery scams.

If the target is an adult

Adults are targeted too, often through dating apps. The same rules apply: don’t pay, keep the evidence, block and report the account, and report to the FBI at ic3.gov. Take It Down is for images taken when someone was under 18; adults can ask each platform to remove intimate images through its own reporting tools.

How to talk about it before it happens

A calm conversation ahead of time is the best protection. Try telling your teen:

• “People online aren’t always who they say they are, even if their photos look real.”
• “If anyone ever threatens you, come to me. You won’t be in trouble, and we’ll fix it together.”
• “Never pay someone who’s threatening you. It doesn’t make them stop.”

Setting accounts to private and limiting messages to people they know also cuts down on contact from strangers. See our Instagram Teen Accounts and Snapchat Family Center guides.

Quick checklist

• No money or images sent
• Usernames, profile links and threats recorded
• Account reported and blocked in the app
• CyberTipline report filed (or FBI report for adults)
• Take It Down used if an image of a minor may be shared
• Follow-up support arranged for your teen

Frequently asked questions

Will my child get in trouble for sending an image?
NCMEC’s guidance is clear that the blackmailer is the one committing a crime. Reporting is about protecting your child and stopping the blackmailer.

Should we delete the account right away?
Not yet. NCMEC advises blocking the person but keeping the profile and messages, because they help investigators. Change passwords if you think the account was hacked.

What if they already paid?
Stop paying, report everything to the CyberTipline, and contact the payment app or bank to report the fraud. It is never too late to get help.

Sources

• Sextortion, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, accessed October 25, 2026
• Take It Down, NCMEC, accessed October 25, 2026
• CyberTipline, NCMEC, accessed October 25, 2026
• Internet Crime Complaint Center, FBI, accessed October 25, 2026
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, accessed October 25, 2026