It’s become an all-too-common story. A teenage boy shares an explicit photo with a girl he’s been chatting with online. Minutes later, an unknown person sends a threatening message: Pay a large sum of money, or the images will be shared with the boy’s friends and family.
Sadly, this fast-growing cybercrime has been linked to self-harm and teen boys dying by suicide. Financial sextortion targeting adolescent males is one of many risks teens face online, and it’s a reason for parents to take seriously how their kids interact online from an early age.
From October 2021 to March 2023, the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations received over 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors. The sextortion involved at least 12,600 victims – primarily boys – and led to at least 20 suicides. Victims are typically males between the ages of 14 to 17, but any child can become a victim.
We spoke with Sandra Fritsch, MD, professor of psychiatry at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, who specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry and sees patients at Children’s Hospital Colorado. She emphasizes how these online scammers are skilled in picking up on the vulnerabilities of adolescents.
“Teenagers don’t necessarily know what’s safe and unsafe, so they can put their trust in the wrong situations,” Fritsch said. “If a child is open and trusting to begin with, it can put them at risk for being exploited.”
Fritsch said it’s important for parents to take an active role in how kids of all ages interact online, encouraging age-appropriate conversations to start the moment a child is handed a screen. Here, she offers guidance on navigating the online world, explains how to develop a family media plan, and shares tips on talking to kids about risky online behavior.