Sextortion
Offenders, often posing as a peer, get a teen to share an intimate image and then threaten to send it to friends and family unless they pay or send more; reports to the US child-protection centre NCMEC rose from about 36,000 in 2024 to over 50,000 in 2025, and Canadian police are charging offenders.
Should I worry?
Sextortion is real, documented and growing, and it hits teens of every gender, especially boys. It usually starts with a friendly new contact, often posing as a teen, who builds trust fast, pushes to move the chat to a private or encrypted app, and asks for intimate images. Once they have one, the threats and demands for money or more images begin. Warning signs: a new online friend your teen is secretive about, sudden distress or panic after looking at their phone, questions about gift cards or payment apps, or withdrawing from friends and family. If it happens, tell your teen they are the victim and not in trouble, stop all contact without paying or sending more, keep the messages and account names as evidence, and report it. Shame is the offender's main weapon, and your calm reaction is the best protection.
How to join in
Teens don't see this as a trend; they mostly meet it as a message from someone who seems friendly, cute or interested in them on Snapchat or Instagram. The way in is to talk about online trust in general: people online can pretend to be anyone, and anyone who rushes to private chat or asks for pictures is a red flag, whoever they say they are. Ask what they and their friends do when a stranger adds them, and agree together on a rule: a bad situation is never a reason to hide something from you.
Try saying
“If anyone online ever pressures you for pictures or threatens you, I want you to come to me, even if you already sent something. You wouldn't be in trouble, and it's not your fault; the person doing this is the one who's breaking the law. We'll figure it out together, and I'll stay calm, I promise.”
If you’re worried
In immediate danger or if your teen talks about self-harm, call 911; for thoughts of suicide, call or text 988. Report online sexual exploitation and sextortion to Cybertip.ca, and use NeedHelpNow.ca to get intimate images taken down. Your teen can also reach Kids Help Phone at 1-800-668-6868 or by texting 686868. Don't pay and don't send anything more; keep the messages as evidence and tell your local police.
Sources
From Mistlift, mistlift.app. Plain talk about what kids are into online.