If someone online is pressuring you, threatening to share a picture of you, or trying to get money or codes out of you, it is not your fault and there are people and tools that can help right now. Online safety for teens means keeping control of who can see and contact you, spotting the tricks scammers and blackmailers use, and knowing exactly what to do when something goes wrong. This guide is written for young people, in plain language, and covers privacy settings, grooming and sextortion warning signs, free tools that remove nude images taken when you were under 18, scams aimed at teens, and where to report. Parents, teachers and youth workers can use it too; there is a separate Sextortion guide written for adults.
Key takeaways
- You are not in trouble. The UK Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and the US National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) both say the blackmailer is the one at fault, even if you made a choice you now regret.
- Do not pay and do not send more. NCMEC says cooperating or paying rarely stops the blackmail, and the IWF warns the person may keep asking.
- Block, but keep the evidence. Block the account on every app, report it, and save the messages instead of deleting your profile or chats; they help stop the person.
- Images can be taken down. Take It Down (NCMEC) and Report Remove (IWF and Childline in the UK) are free tools for nude or sexual images of you taken before you were 18; Take It Down makes a digital fingerprint on your device so the image itself is not uploaded.
- Tell one trusted adult. A parent, carer, teacher or helpline such as Childline can help you report, and if anyone is in immediate danger call 999 in the UK or 911 in the US.
What it is
Online safety is about three things: who can see you (your profile, posts, location and friends list), who can contact you (messages, friend requests, game chat, voice chat), and what you can do when something goes wrong (block, report, remove, get help). It is not about staying off the internet. It is about using it on your terms.
The risks teens most often meet online are:
| Risk | What it looks like | First thing to do |
|---|---|---|
| Sextortion | Someone gets an intimate picture or video, or claims to have one, then demands money, gift cards or more images | Stop replying, do not pay, save evidence, tell an adult, report |
| Grooming | An older person, often pretending to be your age, builds trust, moves you to private chats and pushes for secrets or images | Stop contact, report to the platform and to CEOP (UK) or the CyberTipline (US) |
| Cyberbullying | Mean, false or harmful posts or messages, or private information shared to embarrass you | Do not reply, screenshot, block, report, tell someone |
| Scams | Free game currency, giveaways, easy money jobs, fake brand deals, account "verification" requests | Never share codes or passwords; check with someone first |
| Account takeover | Someone logs into your social or gaming account and messages your friends | Reset your password, turn on two-step verification, warn friends |
How it works
How sextortion and grooming usually start
NCMEC describes the pattern clearly. Someone approaches you on social media, often after looking up your interests, friends, school or family. They move fast, asking for nude images soon after following or friending you, and they push to switch to a private video chat or messaging app. Common tricks include:
- A "trade": they send a picture they say is of them and ask for one back. It is usually not them.
- Fake identities: pretending to be younger, a different gender, a modelling agency, or using several accounts at once.
- Fake friendship or romance: lots of attention and compliments to build trust quickly.
- Hacking: breaking into accounts to steal private images.
- Fake images: threatening to make sexual images of you with editing or AI tools, even if you never sent anything.
NCMEC says teenage boys have been the most common targets in recent financial sextortion cases, where the goal is money. Its CyberTipline received more than 186,800 online enticement reports in 2023, a category that includes sextortion, and more than 456,000 in 2024 up to 5 October. You are not the only one this happens to.
How the takedown tools work
| Tool | Who it is for | How it works | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Report Remove (IWF and Childline/NSPCC) | Under 18s in the UK | Free, confidential; you report intimate images of yourself so they can be removed from the internet | Run through Childline's website; check there for current steps |
| Take It Down (NCMEC) | Anyone with nude, partly nude or sexual images or videos of themselves taken before 18 | Makes a "hash" (digital fingerprint) on your device; only the hash goes to NCMEC, which shares it with participating platforms so they can find and limit copies | Does not work on encrypted platforms; platforms may have limited ability to remove content already posted |
| StopNCII.org | Images taken when you were 18 or older | Similar hashing approach for adults | Same platform limits |
Take It Down asks you not to send, share or download the image to submit it, and not to repost it afterwards, because future posts may be flagged and your account could be blocked. Do not forward the image to friends "for advice" either. Use the tools.
What to do if it is happening now
- Stop replying. Do not argue, negotiate or explain.
- Do not pay or send anything else. Paying usually leads to more demands.
- Save evidence. Screenshot the profile, usernames, messages and any payment details they gave you.
- Block and report the account on every app where they contacted you, but do not delete your own account or chats.
- Tell a trusted adult or contact Childline (UK) or NCMEC on 1-800-THE-LOST (US, 24 hours).
- Report: in the UK to the police and to CEOP, whose Child Protection Advisors handle reports of online sexual abuse; in the US to the CyberTipline at report.cybertip.org, which passes reports to law enforcement.
- Use Report Remove or Take It Down to get images taken down.
- Expect them to try again. The IWF says blackmailers can be persistent; do not engage, keep reporting and tell someone.
Why it matters
- Things spread fast and last: the US government's StopBullying.gov points out that online content is usually permanent unless reported and removed, and that devices make contact almost constant.
- It is common: StopBullying.gov reports that about 16% of US high school students were bullied electronically in the 12 months before the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey. See the Cyberbullying Response Guide.
- Feeling alone makes it worse: blackmailers rely on shame and secrecy. If you feel overwhelmed, the Samaritans (UK) answer on 116 123, free and 24/7.
- Your accounts are valuable: gaming and social accounts with skins, followers or saved cards are worth stealing. See the Securing Online Gaming Accounts Guide.
Privacy settings worth changing today
| Setting | Why |
|---|---|
| Private account | Only people you approve see your posts and followers |
| Who can message you | Limit direct messages and game chat to friends you know offline |
| Location sharing | Turn off live location on maps and social apps, and do not tag your school or home |
| Friend and follower lists | Hide them where you can; scammers use them to research and impersonate you |
| Two-step verification | Stops most account takeovers even if your password leaks |
| Login codes | Never share them, not even with "support"; real staff will not ask |
For step by step settings by app, see the Social Media Privacy Settings Guide and the TikTok and Snapchat Safety Guide for Families.
Common misconceptions
- "If I tell anyone, I will get in trouble." The organisations that run these services exist to help you, and the IWF and NCMEC both say the person blackmailing you is to blame.
- "If I pay, they will delete it." NCMEC says paying rarely stops the blackmail.
- "I never sent anything, so I am safe." Blackmailers can steal images by hacking or make fake ones with editing tools. Fake images can be reported too.
- "They are my age, they said so." Pretending to be younger or a different gender is one of the most common tactics NCMEC lists.
- "Deleting my account makes it go away." Block instead, and keep the messages as evidence.
- "Free currency sites are real." Sites offering free in-game currency or giveaways that ask for your login or a code are after your account. See the Roblox and Minecraft Safety Guide for Parents.
Related concepts
- Scams aimed at young people: "easy money" offers to receive and pass on money can turn you into a money mule, which is a crime. See the Job and Task Scams Guide.
- Account takeover: if a friend's account suddenly asks you for a code, money or a picture, assume it has been hacked and check with them another way, such as in person or by phone. If your own account is taken over, reset the password from the app's official recovery page, turn on two-step verification and tell your followers not to reply to messages sent while you were locked out.
- Deepfakes: AI can fake voices and faces. A video call or voice note is not proof someone is who they say. See the Spotting Deepfake Scams Guide.
- Parental controls: these are tools families agree on, not punishment. See the Parental Controls Guide.
- Children's privacy law: in the US, COPPA limits what services can collect from under 13s. See the COPPA and Children's Privacy Guide.
For parents, schools and youth workers
- Lead with help, not punishment: young people report sooner when they know they will not lose their phone or get into trouble.
- Know the routes: keep CEOP, Report Remove, Take It Down, the CyberTipline and Childline on a single sheet in staff rooms and school planners.
- Measure: schools can track how many students know at least one reporting route, how many staff have had safeguarding training on sextortion, and time from a disclosure to a report.
Practitioner checklist
- Set your accounts to private and limit who can message you.
- Turn off live location sharing and remove your school or home from profiles.
- Turn on two-step verification and never share login codes.
- If someone threatens you: stop replying, do not pay, save evidence, block and report.
- Tell one trusted adult or contact Childline, NCMEC or the Samaritans.
- Report sexual threats to CEOP or the police (UK) or the CyberTipline (US).
- Use Report Remove (UK, under 18) or Take It Down to get images removed; use StopNCII.org if the image was taken at 18 or older.
- Call 999 (UK) or 911 (US) if anyone is in immediate danger.
Standards and references
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: Take It Down
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children: Sextortion
- Internet Watch Foundation: Sextortion help and advice
- National Crime Agency CEOP: Safety Centre
- Childline (NSPCC)
- StopBullying.gov: What Is Cyberbullying
Related NHI Mgmt Group resources: Sextortion · Cyberbullying Response Guide · Social Media Privacy Settings Guide · Protecting Children Online: A Parent's Guide