Adverse Childhood Experiences- Sextortion
In today’s hyperconnected world, children and young people face a particularly pernicious threat - 'sextortion'.
Statistics show a rise in this form of sexual blackmail. It involves intimate imagery, often produced by coercion, which is used by perpetrators to threaten children with disclosure unless the child complies with their demands.
Children may be pressured into paying perpetrators money, providing them with further images or videos or coercion into expanding this abuse to siblings. Recent research shows this form of abuse is growing rapidly and evolving alongside technology.
Research statistics paint a stark picture. According to the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), cases child sexual extortion (under-17s) reported in 2025 had increased by 72% in the UK in one year. The IWF also noted a trend particularly targeting teenage boys.
A global review reveals that sexual extortion of children is a fast-growing global issue, with victims often facing serious psychological, emotional and sometimes physical harms. New data also reports that 1 in 7 young people who experienced sextortion as a minor, said they harmed themselves in response to the abuse.
These are not merely statistics. Such adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) can have an incredibly damaging long-term impact on children’s future prospects and mental and physical health. These traumatic events can create high levels of toxic stress, which, if prolonged and persistent can impact brain development and functioning.
Sextortion often begins with seemingly innocuous contact: an invitation online that appears harmless, a chat or sharing a non-abusive image. Under the guise of this initial friendship, children may then be coerced, convinced or deceived into sending a compromising image or video. Once sent, the perpetrator then threatens to share it with the child’s peers, family, or publicly unless the child pays money, sends more images or videos, performs sexual acts or complies with abusive demands in other ways. Victims may also know their blackmailer offline, a friend or ex-partner, as well as online.
Perpetrators rely on the child’s fear of exposure, shame, or being seen as the perpetrator if coerced to abuse others, which traps the child into remaining silent.
Consequences may involve extorted payment, further exploitation, image distribution, emotional collapse, withdrawal or self-harm. As stated earlier, this type of crime is evolving. Routes also include organised criminal gangs overseas and increasingly the use of AI-generated or manipulated images.
Sextortion - Practical safeguarding strategies for Schools
Schools and education settings are uniquely placed to spot early warning signs and respond effectively. Practical safeguarding strategies include:
- Providing pupils with clear, age-appropriate education around sextortion: how it starts, what coercion looks like, and how to get support;
- Establishing safe, non-judgemental spaces where pupils can disclose concerns or shame without fear;
- Embed digital resilience into the curriculum: exploring consent, image sharing, peer pressure, online grooming and concealment;
- Monitor and support any pupil showing signs of withdrawal, emotional distress, unexplained absences or change in device use behaviour;
- Working alongside parents/carers to build awareness and shared understanding of digital risks;
- Ensuring strong, visible reporting pathways are in place within the school (DSL and their deputies), to online safety leads, and externally to CEOP in the UK.
Schools should avoid dismissing any image-sharing incident and consider the possibility that sextortion may be taking place. Staff should never assume that high-performing or well-behaved pupils are safe from sextortion. Many victims look ‘fine’ on the surface. They should never treat sextortion solely as a digital issue. It intersects with safeguarding, mental health and trauma support.
Support must be confidential and child centred, forcing public disclosure may traumatise the child further.
Safeguarding policy should explicitly reference the risk of sextortion and image-based abuse. Training for all staff (teachers, support staff, IT, pastoral) is essential so that sextortion is not misunderstood or dismissed.
By understanding how sextortion works, by staying alert to emerging trends and by integrating robust education and support into everyday practice, schools can mitigate harm and give children the chance to be safe, seen and supported.
SSS Learning Safeguarding Director
18 February 2026