Reports involving sexual extortion are on the rise as criminals become more ‘adept’ at targeting younger children.
Tamsin McNally, Hotline Manager at the IWF, appeared live on National BBC Breakfast news to warn about the increasing prevalence of “sextortion” online.
Our 2025 Annual Data & Insights Report analyses the rise of sexually coerced extortion. Explore the latest trends and data on this persistent online harm.
More sextortion reports have been confirmed in the first six months of 2026 than in the whole of 2025, with boys targeted in 95% of cases. The IWF says there is no time to lose bringing in nudity blocking technology on children’s devices.
We would not expect children to protect themselves from sexual abuse in schools, clubs or youth organisations so why would we adopt such an approach online?
Advice for children, young people, adults and parents or carers on Sexually Coerced Extortion or 'Sextortion'.
Help for people aged 18 or over who may be suffering online blackmail, sexually coerced extortion or 'sextortion' for nude images or videos and/or money.
New Image Intercept tool offers smaller platforms free protection from criminal content, as teens face crisis of online sexual exploitation.
IWF analysts use CAID and victim reports to verify teen abuse victims, helping remove illegal imagery that might otherwise be missed.
Learn how IWF combats sexually coerced extortion, a growing online threat where children are blackmailed using intimate images.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) has revealed it believes there are a minimum 300,000 individuals in the UK posing a sexual threat to children, either through physical “contact” abuse or online.