For parents, the idea of someone blackmailing a child over an intimate image is deeply concerning. Unfortunately, sexual extortion — commonly known as “sextortion” — is a very real online safety issue affecting young Australians.
Sextortion can happen quickly and often begins with what appears to be an ordinary conversation online. Understanding how it happens, recognising the warning signs and making sure children know they can ask for help are some of the most important things parents can do.
What Is Sextortion?
Sextortion is a form of online blackmail.
It occurs when someone threatens to share an intimate image or video unless the victim does what they demand.
Those demands might include:
- Sending money
- Providing gift cards
- Sending additional intimate images or videos
- Continuing sexual conversations or interactions
In some cases, offenders deliberately build trust with a young person before asking for an image. In others, the approach can happen extremely quickly.
How Common Is Sextortion Among Young Australians?
Recent Australian research highlights just how important this issue has become.
A national study of almost 2,000 Australians aged 16 to 18 found that more than 1 in 10 had experienced sexual extortion.
Among those who had experienced it, more than half said it first happened before they turned 16.
The research also found that almost two-thirds were targeted by someone they had met online but had never met in person.
Why Are Young People Being Targeted?
Young people spend a significant amount of their social lives online.
They communicate through social media, messaging services, gaming platforms and other digital spaces. Unfortunately, offenders can use these same environments to approach young people.
A fake account might appear to belong to someone of a similar age. The person may be friendly, flattering, or flirtatious and attempt to build trust.
In financially motivated sextortion, teenage boys can be particularly targeted by offenders posing as young women who appear romantically or sexually interested in them.
Once an intimate image or video has been obtained, the conversation can suddenly change.
The young person may be threatened with having the content sent to their friends, family or followers unless they pay.
AI Is Creating Another Challenge
An important development for parents to understand is that sextortion doesn’t always involve a genuine intimate image.
Australian research found that digitally manipulated material was involved in some cases of sexual extortion.
With increasingly sophisticated image-editing and generative AI technology, an offender may be able to create or manipulate sexualised content and then use it to threaten or humiliate a young person.
This means conversations about sextortion shouldn’t focus only on telling children not to send intimate images.
Young people also need to know what to do if someone threatens them with fake or manipulated content.
Why Can Sextortion Be So Distressing?
Sextortion relies heavily on fear and embarrassment.
An offender may tell a young person:
“I’ll send this to everyone you know.”
They may show screenshots of the child’s followers, friends or family members to make the threat feel immediate.
For a teenager, the thought of an intimate image being shared with classmates, parents or friends can feel catastrophic.
This fear can prevent young people from seeking help when they need it most.
Warning Signs Parents Should Know
There may not always be obvious signs, but parents should be aware of behaviours such as:
- Becoming suddenly distressed after using a phone or computer
- Receiving unexpected contact from strangers
- Becoming unusually secretive about online conversations
- Suddenly blocking or deleting accounts
- Appearing frightened when messages arrive
- Asking unexpectedly for money
- Withdrawing from family or friends
- Becoming extremely anxious about attending school
None of these automatically means sextortion is occurring, but significant changes in behaviour can be a reason to check in.
Talk About Sextortion Before Something Happens
One of the most valuable things parents can do is discuss sextortion before their child encounters it.
Keep the conversation simple and age-appropriate.
Explain that people online aren’t always who they claim to be and that nobody should pressure them to send intimate images, money or personal information.
Most importantly, make one thing very clear:
If someone ever threatens or blackmails them online, they can come to you for help.
Fear of punishment can stop children from telling parents what’s happening. Knowing that asking for help won’t result in an angry reaction can make it easier for them to speak up early.
What Should You Do If Your Child Is Being Sextorted?
If your child tells you they’re being threatened, stay calm.
Encourage them to stop communicating with the offender and do not pay or send additional images. Paying doesn’t guarantee that the threats will stop and may lead to further demands.
Where possible:
- Preserve evidence such as messages and account details
- Stop responding to the offender
- Block and report the account
- Secure any affected online accounts
- Seek support for your child
- Report the incident to the appropriate authorities
For someone under 18 in Australia, you can report to the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE).
Your Reaction Matters
Discovering that your child has shared an intimate image can be confronting.
But in that moment, your child needs support more than a lecture.
Offenders deliberately use embarrassment and fear to control their victims. A calm response from a trusted adult can help take some of that power away.
Focus first on your child’s safety and reassure them that you will work through the situation together.
Later, you can discuss what happened and what you can learn from the experience.
Final Thoughts
Sextortion is an uncomfortable subject, but avoiding the conversation doesn’t make the risk disappear.
Young people need to understand that online relationships can sometimes be manipulated and that intimate images — whether genuine or digitally created — can be used as a form of blackmail.
Most importantly, they need to know what to do if it happens.
Regular, judgement-free conversations about online relationships, privacy and seeking help can give children something incredibly valuable: the confidence to turn to a trusted adult when something goes wrong.
