As parents, we do our best to guide and protect our children through all of life’s challenges. But
one thing that’s becoming increasingly dangerous in today’s digital world is sextortion. It’s when
someone asks for intimate photos and then threatens to share them unless you comply with
their demands. Recently, there’s been an alarming rise in what’s called “financial sextortion,”
where scammers trick teens into sending photos and then demand money to keep those images
private.

So, what can we as parents do to protect our teens from this? Here are some steps to help keep
them safe:

So, what can we as parents do to protect our teens from this? Here are some steps to help keep them safe:

1. Know What Sextortion Looks Like

Sextortion is often carried out by scammers pretending to be someone they’re not. They use
fake profiles to trick young people into sending intimate photos. Once they have them, they
demand money or more images, threatening to share the photos with friends or family if they
don’t get what they want.

This can happen quickly, and our teens are particularly vulnerable. They may feel scared or
trapped, thinking they have no way out. That’s why it’s so important to teach our kids what to
look for and remind them that they’re not alone.

2. Talk to Your Teens About Online Safety

Having open, honest conversations with our kids is key. It’s not enough to simply tell them,
“don’t send nudes.” Teens need to understand the risks and consequences of sharing intimate
images. Here are some red flags to look out for:

● Random Follow Requests: If your teen receives a follow or message from someone
they’ve never met, it could be a scammer.
● Pushing for Intimacy Too Fast: If someone starts asking for personal details or photos
too soon and not taking no for an answer, that’s a huge warning sign.
● Insisting on Switching Platforms: Scammers often try to move conversations to other
apps.

3. Use Instagram’s Safety Tools

Instagram offers parental supervision tools that allow us, as parents, to see who’s following our
teens and who they’ve been chatting with in the last 7 days so we can have conversations with

them about any accounts that look suspicious. I highly recommend taking advantage of these
features, which you can check out on Meta’s Family Center.

Instagram also recently announced Teen Accounts, which means teens will have built-in
protections that limit who can contact them and the content they see. Teens under 18 will be
automatically placed into Teen Accounts, and teens under 16 will need a parent’s permission to
change any of these settings to be less strict.

4. If Sextortion Happens, Know What to Do

If your child finds themselves targeted by a sextortion scam, the most important thing is to
remind them they’re not to blame. They’ve been manipulated by criminals, and there’s help
available. Here’s what you can do:

● Stop Responding: Advise your child to stop engaging with the scammer immediately.
● Block and Report: Block the scammer and report the account to Instagram. This helps
get the scammer’s account removed.
● Use the Take It Down Tool: NCMEC has a tool called Take It Down, developed with
support from Meta, which helps teens prevent their intimate photos from being shared
online. It’s a powerful way to protect your child’s privacy.

5. Start Proactive Conversations

You don’t have to wait for something bad to happen before talking about online safety. Ask your
teen questions like, “What’s your favorite thing to do online?” or “Can you show me how to make
my Instagram profile safer?” This opens the door to ongoing discussions about healthy online
habits and empowers your teen to ask for help if they’re ever in a difficult situation.

As parents, we have a responsibility to stay informed and aware of the threats our children face
in the digital world. By having proactive conversations, using Instagram’s safety tools, and
knowing what to do if sextortion happens, we can help protect our teens from these awful
scams.

For more information and resources, visit Meta’s Stop Sextortion resources. Let’s work together
to keep our kids safe.

Resources:

• MediaSmarts
• OneChild
• NCMEC’s ‘Take It Down’ tool
• Meta’s ‘Stop Sextortion’ resources
• Thorn’s Website Page