By Becci Ten Bensek

Technology plays a huge part in our society today. We rely on it for work, online schooling, entertainment, communication with people near and far, and local and worldwide information and news.

Our culture has integrated the internet and its platforms to connect us with people we know and ways to engage with new individuals. Some of the most widely used platforms by youth and teens are Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and gaming platforms such as Xbox and PlayStation. Although these platforms are beneficial, there are also dangers involved with the open nature of social media and online gaming. One of the most rapidly growing forms of abuse involving youth and teens is sextortion.

“Sextortion is a term used to describe a crime in which an offender coerces a minor to create and send sexually explicit images or video.” Sextortion usually involves “catfishing,” which is defined as the act of an individual using a false identity, creating a fake account with stolen images, usually of a young and attractive person of the opposite gender of their targeted victim. The perpetrator then lures their victim into believing they are friends or in a romantic relationship together, also known as grooming.

Following the grooming, they start pressuring the targeted victim to provide personal information and intimate content. The perpetrators can even gain access to digital data by using malware and hacking into electronic devices, obtaining personal files, and gaining control of the victim’s computer camera without the victim knowing.

Once the perpetrator has personal information and intimate content of their targeted victim, they threaten to release the content online or give the images or videos to family members or friends of the victim unless they are given money or items of monetary value, more intimate content, or contact information for future victims.

Unfortunately, even if the perpetrator’s demands are met, blackmailing and harassment continues, and the intimate content is often still released online or given to family members and friends. Most of the perpetrators are based in West African countries like Nigeria and Ivory Coast. Although a vast majority of these perpetrators are based overseas, many are still inside our borders. One of the largest youth sextortion cases was centered in St. Paul with the perpetrator having over 1,100 minor female victims.

According to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), the year 2023 reported a horrific uptick in sextortion and teen male victims. NCMEC reported over 800 youth and teen sextortion victims weekly in the United States, with 90% of the cases involving teen males.

Sextortion has also been directly connected to more than 27 male teen suicides from 2022 to 2024. The most targeted group is males ages 14-17, but the FBI has also interviewed male victims as young as 10 years old.

In a nationwide study, it was reported that one out of every five teens has sent a nude or near-nude photo of themselves to someone. Some of the reasons why young males are more vulnerable and being targeted is sexual curiosity and wanting more connections and interactions with peers and romantic interests.

Due to the cultural stigma around males differing from females, males tend to be highly motivated to pay a ransom and are less likely to come forward when they are victimized. They are also more prone to shame, fear, embarrassment, and feelings of guilt about being exploited. They are also significantly more likely to commit suicide following sextortion.

Protecting and caring for youth and teens at home or in our community is an ever-changing landscape. Social media and gaming platforms have been failing to create safety for users regarding online dangers. Luckily, there are a few things we all can do to help keep teens and ourselves safe when using social and gaming platforms.

Have an open discussion with youth and teens about what to do if they find themself in this type of situation and let them ask questions about online safety and dangers. Warn youth about not giving out personal information, such as their name or any information that could be used to track down where they live, what school they attend, or where they are from. Discuss that it is never safe to send explicit messages or photos to anyone, no matter what the circumstance.

Some red flags to watch for can include someone you met online chatting about something sexual, sharing an explicit photo, or suggesting to move conversations to a different platform. It is important to talk with youth about the dangers of adding people they do not know to their social platforms. Understand that youth will make risky decisions online, so safety planning and harm reduction strategies are two important components to provide them.

One of the most important discussions to have with teens and youth about online dangers is letting them know that they are not alone, and the perpetrators are more than likely extorting others as well.

One of the base principles of open communication with youth and teens is showing them that you are a safe person to come to if they are going through a tough situation or are in danger. If the crime of sextortion is happening now or has happened, some things can be done to help the victim. Block and report the perpetrator’s account but keep your social media accounts active that were used during the incident, and screenshot or save conversations to use as evidence against the perpetrator. Do not continue communications with the perpetrator; giving in to demands usually leads to more ransoms. It can be helpful to talk to or involve a parent, trusted adult, victim advocate, law enforcement, or NCMEC, who can help the victim navigate the next steps to stop the extortion and give the victim someone to connect with during the emotions and stress of the situation.

If you or someone you know is being exploited, you can reach out to your local law enforcement, an advocacy program like WRAP at 1-800-639-2350 or www.letswrap.com, the local FBI field office at 1-800-CALL-FBI, or NCMEC at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.gethelp@ncmec.org.

— Becci tenBensel is executive director of Womens Rural Advocacy Programs