Record number of children reporting online sextortion in UK, data reveals
A record number of British children are reporting being blackmailed over sexual images of themselves, known as sextortion, with young boys to blame for almost all reports in 2025.
The Report Takedown helpline, which allows children to self-report nude or sexual images of themselves circulating online, received 394 allegations of sexual blackmail last year; This was a 23 percent increase over the previous year.
A staggering 98 percent of reports involving extortion by sexual coercion were made by young men, mostly between the ages of 14 and 17.
Hannah Swirsky, head of policy at the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF), said: “Victims and survivors of technology-facilitated child sexual abuse have spoken out about the stigma and shame that can live with them for a really long time.
“Survivors spoke of their fear that these images would continue to circulate and the lack of control they had when these images emerged.”
Ms Swirsky said the majority of child sexual abuse material the IWF found was from girls, a stark contrast to reports of sextortion that were almost entirely made by men.
He added that it is difficult to say exactly why men make up the majority of sextortion cases, but he believes the data reveals a need for more support and education aimed at helping young boys facing this abuse.
“We are calling on the government to take further steps, such as detecting and blocking nudity on the device. There are tools that can prevent children from sending these images in the first place, if they are encouraged or coerced,” he said.
The Report Removal helpline was launched in 2021 and is run by IWF in collaboration with Childline.
In 2025, the service saw 1,894 children and young people reporting nude or sexual images of themselves. The charity confirmed that 1,175 of these reports contained images of child sexual abuse, an increase of 83 per cent compared to 2024.
More than a third of the reports made involved blackmail, which can often include financial sexual blackmail, where an offender threatens to share sexual images online if the victim does not pay them money. This also includes forcing victims to post more images of themselves to prevent the criminal from sharing the original content.
Last year, IWF identified 2,963 images and 509 videos of child sexual abuse.
Shaun Friel, director of Children’s Line, said: “Our counselors are hearing from young people who have been blackmailed into sharing videos of themselves, as well as young people who have been threatened that intimate images could be shared with friends, family or school unless they pay money or send more content. “For many people, fear and isolation can be overwhelming and they often struggle to tell a trusted adult what is going on.
“We are left with mixed feelings about the increase in contacts with Report Remove regarding sextortion. Frankly, it is worrying to see more evidence of how serious a problem this is now, but it is also positive that there is greater awareness of the service and children are more willing to contact and seek help.”
Jess Phillips, minister for the protection and protection against violence against women and girls, said: “Child sexual abuse and blackmail are devastating crimes, harming increasing numbers of children around the world and leaving lifelong scars.
“Fear, embarrassment, and embarrassment often tragically drive children to suicide. This reality weighs on me every day, and I will do everything I can to make the online world safer for our children.”
