Protecting Children from Sextortion: What Parents Need to Know and How the Law Responds

The rapid growth of online communication has brought significant benefits, but an unwanted side effect is that it has also created new opportunities for exploitation. One of the most concerning developments in recent years has been the rise of “sextortion” cases, particularly those involving children and young people. While sextortion is often discussed as an issue of criminal justice or online regulation, the more immediate concern for most families is awareness and prevention: how can parents protect their children before they become victims?

Sextortion typically involves a threat to share intimate images, videos or information unless the victim complies with a demand. The demand may be for money, further images, continued communication, or some other form of compliance. Victims are often manipulated into believing they are engaging in a genuine online friendship or romantic relationship before the threat emerges.

Why children are particularly vulnerable

Children and teenagers are especially susceptible to sextortion because offenders frequently use techniques associated with grooming. By offering attention, affection, validation or the promise of a romantic relationship, offenders can quickly establish a sense of trust and emotional dependency. And when I say quickly, according to the NCA, in some cases offenders have gone from initial contact to blackmailing their victim in under an hour.

Young people are also less likely to recognise warning signs that may be more obvious to an adult. A teenager who believes they are communicating with a peer may overlook inconsistencies in a profile or suspicious requests for photographs. The desire for acceptance, intimacy and social connection can make even cautious children vulnerable to manipulation.

Practical steps parents can take

While no safeguard is foolproof, there are a number of practical measures that parents can take to safeguard their children and reduce risk.

Encourage open conversations

NCA advice is that children who become victims should never be blamed. The responsibility lies entirely with those who exploit and manipulate them. Parents should adopt that mantra.

Creating an environment in which a child feels able to speak candidly about their online experiences may make a child less likely to fear punishment are therefore less likely to conceal problems when something goes wrong.

Parents should ensure that children understand:

• They will not be blamed for reporting concerns.
• Online relationships may not be what they appear.
• Requests for intimate images should be treated as a serious warning sign.
• Help should be sought immediately if anyone makes threats or demands.

Explain the common tactics

The people who commit these offences are often part of Organised Crime Groups who are financially, rather than sexually, motivated. They want money, and they want it quickly, so many sextortion cases follow a predictable pattern:

1. Initial contact through social media, gaming platforms or messaging apps. Often an account posing as another young person they don’t know, or a hacked account of someone they do know.
2. Rapid development of trust or apparent romantic interest, including sexually explicit communications, which may involve the offender being the first to share an image.
3. Requests for private photographs or video calls. Sometimes manipulation or pressure is applied.
4. Immediate threats once images are obtained, including threats that they have been hacked and the offender has access to all their images.
5. Demands for money, more images or further interaction.

Children who understand these warning signs are better equipped to identify manipulation before it escalates.

Emphasise that payment rarely solves the problem

Compliance does not necessarily end the abuse. Whether the payment is money, additional images or something else, offenders may return with further demands; sometimes immediately. Paying a blackmailer often confirms the victim’s vulnerability and encourages further exploitation.

Act quickly if a threat is made

If sextortion occurs:

• Do not pay.
• Cease communication with the offender.
• Block the account where appropriate.
• Try not to delete anything/ Preserve screenshots, profile names, bank account details and any other evidence.
• Report the matter to the police.

Early intervention can prevent escalation.

The Law: How sextortion compares with blackmail

From a legal perspective, sextortion is often best understood as a modern manifestation of the traditional offence of blackmail.

Section 21 of the Theft Act 1968 makes it an offence to:

• make an unwarranted demand
• with menaces
• with a view to gain or with intent to cause loss

The classic example is a demand for money backed by a threat. In many sextortion cases, the threat is the release of intimate images rather than physical violence or exposure of information, but the underlying structure is essentially the same.

A typical sextortion demand such as, “Send £500 or I will publish these photographs,” fits squarely within the traditional concept of blackmail. The demand is unwarranted, the threat constitutes a menace, and the offender seeks financial gain.

The offence of blackmail, although enacted decades ago, is broad enough to cover threats made via social media, encrypted messaging platforms and online communication.

Where blackmail becomes more complicated

The legal position becomes less straightforward when the offender is seeking something other than money or property.

Under the Theft Act, “gain” and “loss” are generally confined to money or other property. As a result, a demand for additional intimate images may not always fit neatly within the traditional blackmail framework.

Consider our above example:

• “Pay me £500 or I will release these photographs.”

Compared with:

• “Send me more intimate images or I will release these photographs.”

The first example is a classic blackmail scenario. The second probably doesn’t amount to blackmail, but may constitute another offence (including for example one relating to sexual communications with a child, possession of indecent images, or revenge porn, depending on the circumstances).

This distinction highlights both the strengths and limitations of relying solely on blackmail to address sextortion as not every sextortion scenario falls comfortably within its parameters.

The psychological impact

Despite technical differences, the emotional harm caused by sextortion closely resembles that seen in conventional blackmail offences.

Both rely on fear, shame and coercion. Both aim to place victims in a position where they feel they have no realistic choice but to comply. For children, the prospect of intimate images being circulated among friends, family members or school peers can be devastating.

Indeed, the harm caused by sextortion may in some cases exceed that found in traditional blackmail. Financial losses can often be quantified and recovered; the disclosure of intimate images may have lasting emotional and reputational consequences that are far harder to remedy.

A prevention-first approach

Although criminal prosecutions obviously remain an important deterrent, parents should not view sextortion primarily as a legal problem. By the time the criminal law becomes relevant, a child has already been exposed.

Protection lies in education, communication and early intervention. Children who understand how offenders operate, who know they can turn to trusted adults without fear of blame, and who recognise that threats, are far less likely to become trapped in a cycle of exploitation.

Whilst the criminal law is equipped with the ability to prosecute and punish offenders, ideally, a child will not become a victim in the first place. That requires awareness and vigilance from parents, and an acceptance that online safety now forms an essential part of protecting young people in modern life.

How can Old Bailey Solicitors help?

Sextortion offenders often select victims whom they believe have the greatest incentive to comply. Aside from vulnerable children, this may include high-net-worth individuals concerned about reputational damage, but equally extends to people of normal means who fear the consequences that disclosure could have for their employment, family circumstances or personal relationships.

Camilla Rents has experience representing both those accused of blackmail, but also those who have found themselves victims of blackmail, including in a commercial context where careful reputation management has been required.

She has represented professionals at the receiving end of an unwarranted demand with menaces. In each case, she has worked closely with the client (including assisting in negotiations directly with the offender), and on occasion the client’s commercial advisors, to ensure that the unreasonable demand and improper means of enforcing it is negotiated away in a way which has protected the financial and personal interests of the client whilst minimising the risk of exposure.

If you require assistance with your case, please contact Old Bailey Solicitors on 0207 8464 999 or email [email protected]

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