Sextortion: Your First Hour Plan for Parents

Sextortion is when someone threatens to share a sexual image of your child unless they pay money or send more images. It is happening to children across the UK, and offenders often move fast, sometimes demanding money within an hour of first contact. If your child has been targeted, what you do in the next hour can make a real difference.

This guide sets out a calm plan. Your child is the victim here, not the criminal, and you can respond in a way that protects them.

Why the first hour matters

Sextortion offenders work to a script. They build trust quickly, often posing as a same-age friend or an attractive stranger, then persuade the child to share an image or to move onto a video call. Once they have something, they switch to threats and a deadline. The pressure is designed to make the child panic and act alone.

Many of the children targeted are teenage boys, and many feel too ashamed or frightened to tell anyone. Some children do not tell their parents until the money demands have been going on for days. So if your child does come to you, the most important thing you can do is stay calm.

> The single most important rule: do not pay, and do not send anything more.

Step by step: the first hour

Work through these in order. You do not need to do them all perfectly. Do the first three quickly, then the rest.

1. Stay calm and reassure your child. Say something like, “Thank you for telling me. This is not your fault, and we will sort it out together.” Shouting or blaming will make them less likely to talk to you again.
2. Stop all contact. Ask your child not to reply to the offender, not to send anything else, and not to answer any calls.
3. Do not pay. Paying almost always leads to further demands, not an end to the threats. Make sure your child knows this too.
4. Block the offender. Use the Block option in the app or game. Do not delete the conversation yet.