Young men and boys are increasingly falling victim to sexual extortion on social media platforms, Australia's online watchdog has reported. The eSafety Commissioner received over 2,200 complaints in the six months to December 2025, with men aged 18 to 24 years old being the most affected group, accounting for 803 complaints. Children under 15 were also targeted, with 186 complaints from boys and 58 from girls.
Instagram and WhatsApp were the platforms most frequently mentioned in these complaints, while TikTok was identified by more children as the initial contact point with abusers. The report emphasized the need for tech companies to improve their responses to victims reporting harm and to implement better detection tools.
FAQs
Q: What is sexual extortion? A: Sexual extortion involves criminals tricking victims into sharing intimate images, then demanding money and threatening to expose the images to family and friends.
Q: Which age group is most affected by sexual extortion? A: Men aged 18 to 24 years old are the most affected, with 803 complaints received from this group.
Q: Which social media platforms are most commonly involved in these incidents? A: Instagram and WhatsApp are the most frequently mentioned platforms, with TikTok being the initial contact point for more children.
Q: What measures are being called for to combat sexual extortion? A: The eSafety Commissioner is calling for tech companies to provide faster responses to victims, implement language analysis tools for detection, and reduce encryption on private messaging services to better identify and prevent these scams.
