‘Sextortion’ warning: Smart devices can unknowingly expose children to online predators, experts say

More and more kids are getting online with their own smart devices but technology experts are sounding the alarm, cautioning parents over the risks that their child could become a victim of “sextortion.”

Getting a cell phone, tablet, or laptop is a right of passage for many kids. But while the devices can connect them to their friends and family, they can also unknowingly expose them to online predators.

That’s why technology experts say parents must have conversations with their kids about the dangers of the internet, citing sextortion, which is a practice where children are usually targeted by adults who pose as minors and ask for them to send explicit pictures.

“And then they use that photo as blackmail. They might ask for money in exchange or actually ask for more photographs from a minor. And essentially what ends up happening is it, uh, creates this cycle where if the victim does give money, then they keep asking for more money, and if the victim doesn’t give money or give more photos, then they share that photo with everybody on social media,” Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, of Purdue University, explained.

Often the predator is a man posing as a teenage girl.

“The individual who is usually pretending to be a 14-year-old girl will send a photo first,” Seigfried-Spellar said. “They will then ask for a photograph in return from the minor, usually a 12, 13, 14-year-old boy.”

When teenagers realize they are being blackmailed, it can trigger intense stress and lead to an increased risk of suicide. Many kids suffer in silence because they’re too scared to go to an adult.

“It’s really difficult for parents to want to talk to their kids about sexting and sextortion in general, but you’ve got to open up the communication line,” Seigfried-Spellar added. “If it does happen, they won’t get in trouble, but they need to come and talk to them right away.”

Experts also say reporting the crime to the police is key because it can help prevent the same perpetrator from harming someone else.

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