Ultimate Guide to Sextortion, Online Enticement, Teen Sex Trafficking, & Human Trafficking
Table of Contents
How Predators Groom, Manipulate and Trap Minors
What is Sextortion?
A crime that happens online when an adult convinces a person who is younger than 18 to share sexual pictures or perform sexual acts on a webcam. Sextortion can start on any site where people meet and communicate. - Federal Bureau of Investigation
Sextortion: When Shame Becomes a Weapon
Dangers of Children's Unmonitored Online Access
How does sextortion begin? (Source: FBI)
- On mobile or online websites, apps, or games
- Victims may be approached with compliments, flattery, or romantic interests
- Offers of a modeling contract
- Offers of video game credits, codes
- Offers money, cryptocurrency, or gift cards
- Threats by claiming they already have a photo they will share with others
- Threats to harm the student or their friends or family
Online victims are often targeted on platforms they frequent. Victims reported that the first contact with their perpetrator typically came in the form of a social media friend request. - Thorn.org
The FBI has interviewed victims as young as 8, and the crime affects children of both genders and crosses all ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The victims are honor-roll students, the children of teachers, student athletes, etc. The only common trait among victims is Internet access. -FBI
Sextortion statistics (Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)
- Where criminals target young people online
- Social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, TikTok)
- Chatrooms and online forums (Reddit)
- Chat and messaging apps (Discord, Twitch, 130+ Popular Teen Apps)
- Online job ads
- Dating websites and dating apps
- Porn websites
- Multiplayer online video games
People who do not believe that their children could ever become victimized online are living in an unrealistic world. Regardless of if your child makes 'As' [in school] or not, that child has the potential to become victimized through online technologies. I think it is very important for parents of all socioeconomic status and with all different roles in society to take this problem very seriously. - Melissa Morrow, Supervisory Special Agent, Child Exploitation Squad, FBI
Sextortion Red Flags
- Child sextortion victims range from 8 to 17 years-old
- The number of online enticement reports to the NCMEC between have increased by 300% since 2021
- There was a 37% increase in daily reports of financial sextortion in 2025
- At least 3 dozen teenage boys have committed suicide as a result of sextortion
(Source: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children)
- Approach a child on social media after learning about the child’s interests, friends, school, etc
- Quickly ask for nudes after following or friending a child on social media
- Move communications from one online platform to another for a more private chat
- Offers of reciprocation (“I’ll show you, if you show me”)
- Pretending to work for a modeling agency
- Establishing a friendship/romantic relationship
- Using multiple false online identities to contact a child
- Pretending to be younger or the opposite gender
- Accessing the child’s online account unauthorized to steal sexual images or videos
- Threatening to create sexual images or videos of the child using digital editing tools
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What To Do Right Now if Your Child is Being Sextorted
If your child is being sextorted right now, stay calm — panicking makes teens less likely to ask for help. Here is exactly what to do:
Step 1: Do NOT pay. Paying does not stop the threats — it almost always makes them worse
Step 2: Do NOT delete evidence. Screenshot everything: the threats, the messages, the accounts
Step 3: Report immediately to:
- FBI Internet Crimes Complaint Center: ic3.gov
- NCMEC CyberTipline: missingkids.org/gethelpnow/cybertipline
- Local law enforcement: Call 911 if your child is in immediate danger
Step 4: Report on the platform. Every major platform (Snapchat, Instagram, Discord) has a reporting mechanism — use it immediately
Step 5: Get support. This is not your child's fault
- Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
- NCMEC: 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678)
How AI and Deepfakes Are Being Used in Sextortion
- Law enforcement has seen an rise in cyber criminals using AI created images and videos to blackmail and harass children and teens in online situations (Source: KIRO 7)
- A predator takes an innocent photo from your child's social media (even a school photo or yearbook image)
- They use AI tools to generate a fake explicit image
- They then threaten to send that image to your child's school, friends, or family unless they are paid money or send real images
- This means your child does not have to do anything wrong to be targeted. A public photo is all it takes
What parents should do:
- SmartSocial recommends parents talk to teens now, before an incident occurs, about what to do if they are ever threatened like this
- The answer is always: tell a trusted adult immediately, do not pay, do not comply
- Review your teen's social media privacy settings so that strangers cannot easily download their photos
How to Talk to Teens About Sextortion and Other Risks
- Start with curiosity, not a lecture: "Have you heard about sextortion? What do you know about it?"
- Make it clear they can come to you: "If anyone ever threatens you online, I want you to come to me first, no matter what. You will not be in trouble"
- Explain what predators do: "Sometimes people online pretend to be someone your age to gain your trust. They say things that feel good at first.
- Set the rule clearly: No photos or videos you would not want the entire school to see — ever, to anyone
How Criminals Groom and Lure Children Online
What Is Grooming?
Online grooming is a process in which a predator uses seemingly casual or innocent information with the goal of establishing a relationship to gain a child’s trust. It may start with something as simple as a popular music group, sports team, or clothing trend. - Internet Safety 101
Tactics offenders use to exploit children online (Source: National Center for Missing and Exploited Children)
- Engaging in sexual conversation/role-playing as a grooming method, rather than a goal
- Asking the child for sexually explicit images of themselves or mutually sharing images
- Developing a rapport through compliments, discussing shared interests or “liking” their online posts
- Sending or offering sexually explicit images of themselves
- Pretending to be younger
- Offering an incentive such as a gift card, alcohol, drugs, lodging, transportation or food
What is Online Enticement?
Online Enticement involves an individual communicating with someone believed to be a child via the internet with the intent to commit a sexual offense or abduction. The term is a broad category of sexual exploitation that includes sextortion. - National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
Warning Signs Your Child May Be In Contact With An Online Predator (Source: Internet Safety 101)
- Becomes secretive about online activities
- Becomes obsessive about being online
- Gets angry when he or she can’t get online
- Receives phone calls from people you do not know or makes calls to numbers that you do not recognize
- Receives gifts, mail, or packages from someone you do not know
- Withdraws from family or friends
- Changes screens or turns off the computer when an adult enters the room
- Begins downloading pornography online
What is teen sex trafficking?
- Teen sex trafficking is a form of human trafficking in which minors are exploited for commercial sex acts through force, fraud, or coercion. Under federal law, any minor engaged in commercial sex is legally considered a trafficking victim — even if they appear to consent (Source: U.S. Department of Justice)
- Online platforms play a major role in recruitment. Traffickers often pose as romantic interests, talent scouts, or friends before introducing exploitation. Social media, messaging apps, and gaming platforms are the most common recruitment grounds
Warning signs a teen may be at risk or involved in sex trafficking:
- An older "boyfriend" or unknown adult is providing gifts, money, or unusual attention
- Your teen is absent from school or home for unexplained periods of time
- Signs of physical abuse or malnourishment
- Has multiple phones or unexplained cash
- Tattoos or branding they can't explain
- Seems fearful, anxious, or submissive around certain people
If you suspect trafficking: Contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 (24/7, free, confidential) or text 233733
What is human trafficking?
- Human trafficking is the exploitation of people through force, fraud, or coercion for labor or sexual exploitation. It is one of the most profitable criminal industries in the world — and it happens in every state, in every type of community (Source: Polaris Project)
- Traffickers often target teens because they are easier to manipulate and control
- Online recruitment has dramatically increased — traffickers no longer need to be physically present
- Teens who are in foster care, runaways, LGBTQ+ youth, and teens with unstable home lives face elevated risk (Source: Polaris Project)
- Human trafficking does not require crossing a border or physically moving a person
How to start a digital dialogue with teens and tweens
Carrie Pasquarello, CEO & Co-Founder, Global Secure Resources Inc.
I always suggest starting a proactive communication plan early in life when our children are young. Setting time each day to teach communication skills will improve relationships and also incorporate empathy skills and exercises. But don’t worry if you are already at a stage where you feel every conversation is a challenge with your teen. It is not easy raising teenagers today. The good news is we have tips for developing a positive communication plan with those tough to reach kids. Start by asking open-ended questions. This technique allows your teen to answer your question with more than a (one-word answer).
An example would be "What was your favorite part of your day?” instead of "How was your day?", where they could answer with one word—“Fine” or "Good." You want to spend some time developing your question-asking skills. Once a positive communication plan is in place, you can start an open conversation about digital dangers.
SmartSocial Podcast Episode:How to Close the Safety Gap In-Person & Online
