Prevention
Webinar
Understanding and Preventing the Threat of Sextortion
The threat of Sextortion is rapidly growing at alarming rates. We know this topic is difficult, but understanding it is crucial for protecting young people.
ISPCAN Resources
The headlines are gut-wrenching. The internet has created new risks for young people, and one of the fastest-growing and most devasting threats is sextortion - a form of online exploitation where someone uses sexual images to blackmail and threaten others. What should a young person experiencing sextortion or other online harms do, and how can they get help:
Sextortion is when an abuser uses sexual images to blackmail and threaten someone if they don’t give that person what they want - which may be more explicit or abusive images, requests to send money, or other harmful requests. This threat is rapidly growing at alarming rates. We know this topic is difficult, but understanding it is crucial for protecting young people. The young people in our lives might not recognize the effects of sextortion and other online harms on their mental health They may: • Be unsure of who to go to for help • Be afraid to get help due to fear and shame • Feel isolated, desperate and like there is no way out of their situation • They may lose all hope and consider self-harm or suicide • They will need your love, support, and guidance The progression of threats is extremely rapid—often starting within hours of first contact—and designed to pressure children to pay before they have time to either process these threats or seek support. Join us for this informative webinar where we’ll discuss what you need to know about sextortion and give you resources to confidently help someone respond to online threats and heal from trauma.
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Listen to the Webinar Recording
Webinar Date:
December 12, 2024
Region:
Global
Topics:
Sextortion
On-line safety
Sexual exploitation of boys
On-line exploitation
Resource Downloads
Sextortion - Kelbi Schnabel Presentation Slides
External Resources
Trends in Financial Sextortion: An investigation of sextortion reports in NCMEC CyberTipline data
NCMEC's Take it Down Program
THORN for Parents - Sextortion Discussion Guide
NCMEC's NetSmartz Sextortion Resources
Escape Room Interactive Film
THORN Sextortion Blog
Learning Objectives:
Understand the definition of Sextortion and why it is so critical to address this issue
What is it and why we need to talk about it
The progression of threats is extremely rapid—often starting within hours of first contact—and designed to pressure children to pay before they have time to either process these threats or seek support.
Reflect on current research to assess recent impact on young people and their families
Currently 812 reports of sextortion are received by NCMEC weekly, with more than two-thirds involving financial demands. The majority of victims are boys aged 14 to 17 who are often encouraged to share sexual images after receiving intimate imagery from the perpetrator. While many reported deceitful tactics like “catfishing”, some also reported being threatened with account hacking and the use of generative AI technologies to create or threaten to create photorealistic explicit imagery.
These findings underscore the critical need for awareness and protective measures for our youth that address the full range of possible tactics perpetrators might employ to sextort a youth, including the increasing threat of generative AI.
Sextortion can be a high-stress situation for young people, who may fear reporting the incident or seeking help. Of those reports in the study which described specific impacts of the experience, more than 1 in 6 included mentions of self-harm or suicide.
Share prevention resources and learn how to identify red flags
Provide clear actionable steps to respond to sextortion threats and other online harms
Share impactful help resources that make a difference for victims and their families
Prevention Resources - Online Harms / Abuse
Tools (Scripts) and relevant resources for trusted adults
Presented By:
Kelbi Schnabel, Senior Manager THORN
Kelbi is Senior Manager of Child Safety Advisory at Thorn, a tech non-profit dedicated to developing technology to defend children from sexual abuse. She leads Thorn’s industry consulting efforts to help companies navigate the complex and critical task of safeguarding children online.
Previously at Thorn, she managed Thorn’s prevention programs and behavior change initiatives focused on preventing internet-enabled abuse by building tools to educate and empower children and families to navigate their digital world safely.
Kelbi joined Thorn in 2017. Prior to that, she spent time at the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking in Los Angeles, and previously served the Office of Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller where she led several anti-trafficking initiatives across the state.
Contributing Partners:
THORN