What is sextortion?
Sextortion is when someone threatens to expose a sexual image or video of you to make you pay or provide more sexual content, or for other reasons, such as revenge or humiliation. Netsafe has lots of advice on their website for adults and young people about sextortion.
Globally, there has been a large increase in reports of children and young people being forced into paying money or meeting another financial demand (such as purchasing a pre-paid gift card) after an offender has threatened to release nudes or semi-nudes of them. This is financially motivated sexual extortion, a type of online blackmail often referred to in the media as ‘sextortion’.
Teachers guide
Public Safety Canada have a developed a detailed toolkit for schools that can be adapted for New Zealand educators. It includes lessons plans and resources around sharing nudes, grooming, sexting and sextortion.
Videos
Netsafe have more information on their website about sextortion, how to prevent it from happening and where to go for help and support.
- Netsafe - Sextortion
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children recently launched ‘No Escape Room’, an interactive experience that shows what it feels like to get caught in online sextortion.
Posters and factsheets
The below factsheet provides information on how educators can support children and young people who are victims of sextortion.
New Zealand Police has put together some advice about sextortion that can be shared by educators in the classroom:
Quizzes
Can your students spot the catfish? Do they know how to respond to inappropriate messages? Can they spot potential red flags in a message? Use the below quizzes by No Filtr in the classroom to test their knowledge:
- Find the Exit: Double Catfish
- Find the Exit: Influencer to Follower
- Find the Exit: Friend to Friend
- What’s your POV
- Find the Exit: A Romantic Interest
Reporting
Take It Down is a free service provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. Anyone can use this service to help anonymously remove online nude, partially nude or sexually explicit photos and videos taken before they were 18.