Sexual Extortion
Many young people use the internet to chat, learn, and connect with others. But sometimes, those same spaces are used by people who want to manipulate, control, or harm children and teens.
Sexual extortion is one of the most serious online harms — and many young people don’t realise what’s happening until they already feel trapped.
This page explains what sexual extortion is, how it happens, and what you should know to protect yourself and others.
What is online child sexual exploitation and abuse?
Online child sexual exploitation and abuse happens when the internet, phones, or digital platforms are used to sexually harm or exploit a child or teen.
It can happen:
Fully online
Fully in person
Or as a mix of online contact and offline meetings
It often starts quietly, through messages, gifts, or friendly conversations.
Did you know?
How sexual extortion happens
Sexual extortion usually follows a pattern:
At first:
Someone contacts a child or teen online
They may seem friendly, supportive, or interested
They may send compliments, gifts, data, or money
They may ask to move chats to private messages
Then:
They ask for photos, videos, or sexual actions on camera
Or they steal images already shared
Or they pressure the child to do sexualised things
Later:
They threaten to share the images
They demand more images, money, or actions
The child feels scared, ashamed, and trapped
This is sexual extortion.
Watch Abena’s story
Child sexual abuse material (CSAM)
When sexual images, videos, or audio recordings involve a child or teen under 18, they are called child sexual abuse material (CSAM).
This includes:
Images or videos made by someone else
Images a child made of themselves
Material shared or stolen without permission
CSAM is illegal to make, share, or possess. But it’s important to remember:
A child is never responsible for their exploitation — even if they shared an image or trusted someone.
If your girlfriend or boyfriend asks you to send a naked image of yourself, you can learn how to handle this by visiting the Healthy Relationships page.
Grooming and manipulation
Sexual extortion can begin with grooming.
A groomer may:
Pretend to be the same age
Use fake profiles or photos
Act like a friend, partner, or mentor
Offer help, money, or opportunities
Ask for secrecy
Slowly push boundaries
Groomers are very skilled at building trust and making harmful behaviour seem normal.
Other forms of online sexual exploitation
Sexual exploitation can also include:
Being pressured to perform sexual acts on webcams
Receiving unwanted sexual messages or images
Being threatened to pay money or do things to stop images being shared
Who can be affected?
Any child or teen can be targeted— girls and boys.
Risk increases when:
Someone has more power, money, or influence
A child is in a vulnerable situation (poverty, homelessness, family violence, displacement)
A child needs support, money, or safety
Sexual exploitation is about power, not choices. Visit the transactional relationships page to find out more about this risk.
Check your facts!
❌ "Only girls are victims of sexual abuse and exploitation"
✅ Boys can also fall victim, whether the offender presents themselves as a girl, boy, man or woman.
❌ "If you sent the photo, it's your fault"
✅ It is never your fault if you send a photo or video and then it gets shared further. You are a victim, the person who is extorting you is in the wrong, and help is available.
❌ "It's better to pay up or send more photos so that my naked photo will not be shared"
✅ No, you should never do what the person on the other side of the phone blackmails you to do: this may not stop their demands. You should always block the chat, report it to someone you trust and your hotline or police, and do not delete the conversation to keep a trace of their wrongful actions.
❌ "Sexual extortion always involves money"
✅ The blackmailer may ask money, but also further images and videos of you, or force you to do other acts, in exchange of keeping your photo(s) private. Remember, don't do what they ask you, and report them!
Important to remember
Children who experience sexual extortion often feel:
Ashamed
Afraid of being judged
Worried they will get into trouble
But the truth is clear:
A child victim is NEVER to blame for sexual exploitation or abuse.
Not for trusting someone.
Not for sharing an image.
Not for agreeing to meet.
The responsibility always lies with the person who exploited them.
If you or someone you know is being threatened, pressured, or controlled online, it’s important to seek help as soon as possible. Support and protection are possible — and you do not have to handle it alone. Get help here.