Social Media Sextortion Targets Children

The topic centers on sextortion and related sexual coercion affecting children and adolescents through social media, messaging platforms, and the exchange of intimate content.

A U.S. federal case involving 145 child victims illustrates how fake identities, recorded video chats, and threats to share material can sustain long-running exploitation, while survey research indicates that sexting, nonconsensual sharing, and sextortion are common risks among U.S. teenagers. The evidence supports stronger emphasis on consent, privacy protection, reporting, and support for victims, although the survey findings are self-reported and do not measure all forms of criminal sextortion.