'Sextortion' schemes target two out of every three teens, Snap research shows

This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please contact the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or 1-800-273-TALK (8255). About two out of every three teenagers are targeted by “sextortion” schemes, according to new research conducted by Snap Inc., which owns the social media app Snapchat.Sextortion is a “serious crime,” according to the FBI, by which perpetrators exchange or receive nude photos from victims over the internet then use the victim’s photos to extort them for money or more nude photos. Sextortionists disproportionately target young men for money on social media apps, including Snapchat, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and others, though girls are also targets for explicit images and photos. “For young males who have experienced a sextortion incident — and the majority are males — they regularly tell us that when they share the situation with their parents, they feel relieved. We advise them to report to hotlines and helplines, to report to the platforms and to tell their parents, a friend or a trusted adult. They should not be going through this alone,” Arda Gerkens, president of Offlimits, the Dutch child abuse hotline formerly known as EOKM, said.GROWING SNAPCHAT ‘SEXTORTION’
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