Children in the UK are reporting online sextortion attempts in record numbers, with boys aged 14 to 17 accounting for 98% of victims, according to new data from the Report Remove service. The service, which helps under-18s flag intimate images online, received 394 reports of blackmail attempts last year, a 34% increase from 2024.
Sextortion involves predators manipulating victims into sending explicit images, then threatening to publish them unless money or more images are provided. The rise has been linked to several teenage suicides, including 16-year-old Murray Dowey from Dunblane, whose parents are suing Meta for allegedly failing to protect him.
Campaigners are urging tech companies to do more, with the Molly Rose Foundation calling for mandatory nudity-detection technology on phones. The Internet Watch Foundation, which runs Report Remove with Childline, supports this, saying the government must step in if companies do not act.
Murray’s mother, Ros Dowey, described the figures as “horrifying and disappointing”, asking: “What will it take for social media companies to take responsibility?” Her husband Mark added that public perception is turning against platforms, but safety measures are not working.
Report Remove converts images into digital fingerprints shared with tech firms to block uploads, without sharing the images themselves. The service saw a 66% rise in under-18s seeking help, with 1,175 of 1,894 reports classified as child sexual abuse material.
A Google spokesperson said the company is “committed” to preventing sextortion with “industry-leading” protections. Apple did not comment. The NSPCC said anti-nudity detection should be mandatory on devices.
