How do we address sextortion with our 16-year-old daughter?
There are two parts to this, and this is a much more difficult situation. In cases like this, you likely need to get an attorney and contact your local police department or police station.
People don’t always like hearing that, but with sextortion, what’s happening is someone is threatening to post images on various platforms. I’ve seen situations like this personally, where a teenager shared that it had happened to them. My response was to go to the police station.
What’s important to understand is that sending nude images of anyone under 18 is illegal because it is considered child pornography. Most people—both teens and adults—don’t fully understand that.
When you go to the police, you explain what has happened. In one case, the guidance was to delete social media accounts like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to prevent distribution. If those images are shared, that is also illegal.
It’s important to contact platform support and take immediate action. At the same time, you must support your child emotionally. There have been cases where individuals have died by suicide because of situations like this.
Your child needs to feel validated, loved, and supported. They need to know they matter and that you will work through this together. Creating that sense of safety is critical.
Education is also key. I’ve shared real examples with my own children to help them understand that this is happening, sometimes from people in other countries who attempt to extort money by threatening to release images.
We need to educate and inform our children so they understand the risks, and we need to do it in a loving and supportive way.
