Published: Mon 1 Sep 2025
Charities warn threat of sexual extortion (or sextortion) against children ‘not diminishing’ as new data show sextortion cases soar 72% in a year.
Young people in the UK are being targeted “like never before” by “ruthless” online scammers running sexual extortion scams, as UK hotline reports its busiest ever period.
New data published by the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Childline reveals the number of children and young people reporting they have been the victims of sexual extortion, commonly known as ‘sextortion’, has risen 72% in a year*.
Criminals often trick children and young people into sending nude or sexual images of themselves which are then used to blackmail them. In 97% of cases confirmed by the IWF, the victims are boys.
Sexual extortion can be financially motivated, with criminals trying to blackmail victims into sending money. In some cases, criminals attempt to coerce children and young people into sending more and more extreme images with the threat of distributing the imagery online.
Now, child protection experts are warning that the threat does not appear to be diminishing.
From January 1 to June 30 this year, the IWF dealt with 153 reports where analysts could confirm there was sexual extortion against children compared to 89 such reports in the same period in 2024. This is a 72% increase.
All but one of the sexual extortion reports the IWF dealt with in this period* came via the UK’s Report Remove service.
The service, which the IWF runs alongside the NSPCC’s Childline, is a world-first service which launched in 2021. It allows children and young people in the UK to self-report nude or sexual imagery of themselves which may have got out of control online. The confidential, free service can be used by any child or young person in the UK. IWF analysts will work to have nude or sexual imagery of children taken down from the internet, and Childline teams will be on hand if the young person wants help or counselling.
Crucially, it also allows nude imagery to be pre-emptively blocked from being shared on the open web, even before criminals have had a chance to do so. This makes it a powerful tool for young people facing extortion threats, allowing them to regain control and neutralise the threat if a criminal says they will share imagery online or with a victim’s contacts unless they comply.
The service is not limited to cases where there is an element of sextortion, and can be used by any child or young person in the UK who is worried about nude or sexual imagery of themselves getting out of control on the internet.
Kerry Smith, Chief Executive of the IWF, said: “Criminals remain intent on inflicting suffering and misery on children and young people, and are using the most vile threats to do it. Whether it’s for money, more imagery, or done simply out of cruelty, the impact on children and young people is devastating.
“The sad reality is, this threat is not diminishing or going away. Young people are being exposed to hideous, callous cruelty like never before. And the fact they appear to be easy pickings for these ruthless criminals is frightening and depressing.
“I want children out there to know it is not their fault, and they are not alone. The free and confidential Report Remove service puts them back in control. And I want to say to parents there is never a bad time to start talking about online safety. Any child can be targeted by these vicious criminals – but the tools are out there to help.”
Shaun Friel, Director of Childline, urged children and young people to use Report Remove if nude or sexual imagery of themselves has got out of control online, or if they are facing threats from people threatening to do so.
He said: “The increase in contacts to our Report Remove tool indicates that the spreading of intimate images and videos online continues to be a serious problem that is scarring many young lives.
“Our trained Childline counsellors speak to young people who are distressed about having indecent images of themselves being in a space where anyone can view them. Quite often, they’re too scared to report what’s happening to them and struggle to see a positive solution.
"No child should have to cope with private content of themselves being shared online, and Report Remove provides both practical help to get material removed and emotional support during what can be an incredibly difficult experience."
Children and young people in the UK can report nude or sexual imagery of themselves via Report Remove.
Imagery can be taken down, and can even be pre-emptively blocked from being shared if a criminal is threatening to share them on the open web.
Further resources and information are available here.
Parents and carers can visit talk.iwf.org.uk to find out more about how to help protect children and young people online.
*Data gathered between January 1, and June 30, 2025.
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