Increase in number of 'sextortion' contacts received by Childline

In 2023/24 Childline provided over 900 counselling sessions to children on sextortion - the blackmail and threats children receive to share sexual images online.

At the same time, the NSPCC Helpline handled over 150 contacts from adults concerned about child sextortion.

While some sextortion cases were financial, girls typically spoke about being pressured into sending more nude or semi-nude images when threatened with having other images shared.

In the last year, where gender was known, more than 68% of sessions about sextortion were with boys, compared to 31% for girls. However, police data shows over 80% of online grooming offences are against girls.

One 16-year-old boy told Childline about his experience with sextortion.

“Their profile pic was just some random girl smiling, nothing sexual. There were loads of other pics and videos on their feed too. It never occurred to me at the time that the pics might belong to someone else. It was only once things turned flirty and they convinced me to send nudes that I realised they were a fake. They messaged to say they’d been playing me and that I had to pay them, otherwise they would release my nudes and my reputation would be destroyed.”

'Hard to reach out for support'

Online child exploitation cases take many forms, although they mainly take place on social media, gaming sites and dating apps.

The impact online abuse crimes have on children and young people can range from feelings of guilt, shame, depression, confusion, anxiety and fear. The NSPCC’s Insight Briefing ‘Responses to Children Experiencing Online Harm and Abuse’ reveals that for some children these feelings make it hard to reach out for support, as they worry about upsetting others, being judged or even punished.

During 2023/34, Childline provided 2,892 counselling sessions to children where their main worry was online harm and safety or online sexual abuse and exploitation. The NSPCC Helpline responded to 2,199 child welfare contacts from adults regarding these issues.

A 14-year-old girl told Childline:

“I met a guy online who told me he was 15. We started having a relationship and I shared some inappropriate photos and messages with him. I’ve found out from the police that he isn’t actually 15. I’ve been experiencing panic attacks and flashbacks. My parents yelled at me a lot when they found out and I cried on the floor. I’m hoping I can talk to someone at school about it all.”

If a child discloses sextortion

When a child shares their experience with a safe adult, such as a parent, carer or teacher, that they should be met with supportive, age-appropriate and non-judgemental responses to help them cope with what has happened.

Read our advice on talking to children about difficult topics.

Use Childline's Report Remove tool

In partnership with the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), Childline has created the 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.

More needs to be done by online platforms to prevent putting children at unacceptable risk of abuse online. 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.

Richard Collard, NSPCC Associate Head for Child Safety Online, said:

“These briefings shine a light on an online world where offenders are easily using platforms to abuse and exploit children. What’s more, when young people are reaching out for help from companies they are either slow to respond or support is non-existent.

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.”

Find out more about the statistics included in this article by reading our helpline insights briefings.

Young people’s experiences of online sexual extortion or ‘sextortion’

Insights on responses to children experiencing online harm and abuse

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