NSPCC has reported that their Childline service has seen a marked increase in the number of contacts they receive about sextortion.
The confidential charity helpline provided over 900 counselling sessions for children concerned about sextortion – online sexual extortion – during 2023-24. This represents a 7% increase from 2022-23.
During this same period, the NSPCC’s Helpline received over 150 contacts from adults who were worried about child sextortion. This is an increase of 31% compared to the previous year.
Sextortion is a form of blackmail involving threats that intimate pictures will be shared publicly. Often, victims are tricked into sending compromising images of themselves before receiving threats that they will be shared online.
Earlier this year, the National Crime Agency (NCA) sent an “unprecedented warning” to thousands of teachers urging them to warn their pupils about the dangers of sextortion after a surge in cases worldwide. They were also provided with guidance on supporting pupils and warned that all age groups and genders were being targeted.
Key insights from sextortion counselling sessions
The NSPCC reports that, in the cases where gender was known, almost 7 in 10 sessions (68%) about sextortion concerns were held with boys. This is in direct contrast to police data, which shows that over 80% of online grooming offences are against girls.
Boys tended to speak about experiencing financial blackmail to prevent sharing of explicit images, while girls were typically pressured to send more nude or semi-nude images rather than money.
Other key findings from the NSPCC’s Helpline Insight Briefing on young people’s experiences of online sexual extortion or ‘sextortion’, published this month (September 2024), also include:
- Some young people were blackmailed for money after someone they met online threatened to release sexual images or videos of them
- Some young people were threatened with images that had been stolen from their devices or with ‘fake nudes’ created by the perpetrators
- Some were forced to send more explicit imagery to an ex-partner to prevent sharing of images they had previously shared within a relationship
Child sextortion, or online child exploitation cases, can take various forms but the NSPCC says that they mainly take place on social media, gaming sites and dating apps.
These crimes have a serious significant impact on children and young people, negatively affecting their mental wellbeing. They can experience feelings of guilt, shame, depression, confusion, anxiety and fear. The NSPCC found that some young people even experienced thoughts of self-harming or suicide.
Children and young people who contacted Childline about sextortion often experienced difficulty trusting and seeking help from others. Many also revealed low self-esteem, describing themselves as stupid, disgusting or pathetic.
How to respond to disclosures of sextortion
In August, the NSPCC published an Insight Briefing entitled ‘Responses to Children Experiencing Online Harm and Abuse,’ which revealed that these feelings often made it hard for children to reach out for support about online abuse. Many worried about upsetting others, being judged or even feared being punished.
The briefing uses insights from Childline counselling sessions and NSPCC Helpline contacts between April 2023 and March 2024 to examine the responses that children receive when they disclose online harm or abuse, such as sextortion. Its key findings included:
- Childline provided 2,892 counselling sessions to children who were concerned about online harm and safety or online sexual abuse and exploitation. This represents a 12% increase on the previous year
- The NSPCC Helpline responded to 2,199 contacts from adults worried about a child’s welfare in relation to these issues. Parents often wanted advice on how to respond to their child’s online experience or how to improve their initial response
- Children and young people reported sharing their experiences with peers, parents, schools, police and online platforms
- Some children received emotional and practical support
- Some children were punished and made to feel as though the online harm was their fault, or that nothing could be done about what had happened to them
- Children who received a supportive response to their disclosure of online harm or abuse often still experienced ongoing negative impacts
The NSPCC explains:
“The response a child receives when they experience online harm or abuse is crucial to safeguarding them from further harm and supporting their wellbeing going forward.
“By looking at the types of responses children received from those around them, and from technology platforms, we can gain insight into what a helpful and appropriate response could entail.”
The national children’s charity says that children or young people disclosing experiences of sextortion or other online harms “should be met with supportive, age-appropriate and non-judgmental responses to help them cope with what has happened.”
The NSPCC provides advice and guidance for adults on talking to children about difficult topics.
The NCA advises parents and carers not to pay blackmailers and to stop contact and block whoever is harassing their child, but also warned them not to delete any messages, as they could be used as evidence.
Childline has also partnered with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) to create a Report Remove tool that enables young people to self-report sexual images of themselves which they think may have been shared online. The IWF will then work to remove this content from the internet.
Tech firms too slow to respond to online abuse
However, the NSPCC says that more still needs to be done by online platforms to safeguard children and young people from online abuse.
They report: “Childline has been informed of incidents where children have made reports to an online platform, including nudes and harmful material, but had not received the response required to deal with their concern.”
The NSPCC’s Associate Head for Child Safety Online, Richard Collard, said the briefings “shine a light on an online world where offenders are easily using platforms to abuse and exploit children.”
He said that tech firms were too slow to respond to children and young people who reached out for help when they experienced abuse – or their support is non-existent. He added:
“As Ofcom implements the Online Safety Act it’s crucial their response to child sexual abuse is strengthened to give the regulation teeth. Tech firms must know that continued failure to protect children will result in tough consequences.
“The new government can also uphold its commitment to improve the safety of young people online by ensuring their needs and experiences are central to any review of the Online Safety Act.”
Training to safeguard children
First Response Training (FRT) is a leading national training provider delivering courses in subjects such as health and safety, first aid, fire safety, manual handling, food hygiene, mental health, health and social care, safeguarding and more.
They work with a large number of early years, schools and childcare providers and children’s services. Their courses include Safeguarding Children.
A trainer from FRT says:
“Safeguarding children means protecting them off and online. It’s so important that we are mindful of the harms they could be exposed to online and that there are mechanisms in place to protect them, and to offer them practical and emotional help and support when they need it most.”
For more information on the training that FRT can provide, please call them today on freephone 0800 310 2300 or send an e-mail to info@firstresponsetraining.com.