Parents urged to monitor their children amid growing concerns over sextortion

Parents and caregivers of young adults have been warned by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) to keep a close eye on their children amid a worrying online trend that sees young victims being forced to produce extreme sexual and violent content.

In a statement on September 6, AFP said that sadistic sextortion is a growing online crime targeting children as young as 12 on social media and messaging platforms. These groups “force them to produce explicit material themselves in order to gain acceptance in extreme online communities.”

The warning comes two days after the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), led by AFP, published data showing 560 reports of sextortion were made in the first six months of 2024.

This amounts to an average of 93 reports per month, a decrease compared to the 300 reports per month in calendar year 2023.

Helen Schneider, AFP Commander of Human Exploitation and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) stressed the importance of open communication. If parents suspect their child is engaging in harmful activity online, she advises them to have a conversation to understand the situation and provide appropriate support.

“Warning signs that children are engaging in harmful activities online include increased screen time on computers or phones, isolating themselves from friends and family, or being secretive about who they interact with online,” the researcher said.

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“Whether a child is or has been a victim of online sextortion, reassure them that it is not their fault and report it to the ACCCE.”

In its advice, the AFP suggests taking the following steps to prevent further damage: stop the chat, take screenshots of the text and profile, block the account and report it to the platform.

In addition, seek support from trusted friends, family members, or professional help services. If necessary, consider seeking mental health support, such as Kids Helpline. They offer free, confidential counseling sessions.

It is very important that you report the crime to the ACCCE.

The advisory also warns against sending more images or making payments, as this is likely to result in further demands. Victims are advised not to respond to demands, avoid further communication with perpetrators, and remember that they are not alone.

If there are any concerns about safety, please call Triple Zero (000) or contact your local police station.

According to AFP, many criminals operate under different names and aliases on social media or messaging platforms, thus forming global networks.

“To gain access to most of these groups, potential members are forced by group members to produce or live stream explicit content online,” the AFP said.

Sometimes the perpetrators are as young as their intended victims and first establish online relationships, then encourage them to create explicit images or videos.

“The perpetrator then shares the content with other members of the online group, who will attempt to blackmail the victim by threatening to share the material with their family or friends unless the victim produces more videos and extreme content,” it added.