Sextortion: Why Your Son Is the Target Right Now
As parents, most of you have been conditioned over the years to worry about your daughters online. And rightly so, given everything we know about grooming and exploitation. But there is a form of online blackmail called sextortion that is happening right now, that is growing faster than almost anything else I have tracked in my years doing this work, and it is predominantly targeting your sons.
Cases nearly doubled in a six-month period last year. The FBI issued a specific warning about it on Safer Internet Day 2026. And in 93% of documented cases where the victim’s gender was known, that victim was male.
This post is for every parent who has been focused on protecting their daughter and has not thought to have this conversation with their Son.
What Is Sextortion?
Sextortion is blackmail using intimate or sexual images. A young person is manipulated into sharing an explicit image or video, and then threatened with the release of that image unless they comply with further demands. Those demands can be more images, sexual activity, or money.
What makes the modern version of this particularly disturbing is that the people carrying it out are often not lone predators. They are organised criminal gangs operating on a systematic basis, running it like a business, targeting hundreds of children at a time. They are efficient, ruthless, and they know exactly which platform to use to find their victims.
That platform, right now, is increasingly the Wizz app.
Related: Grooming: What It Is, How It Starts, and How to Spot It | AI Companions and the Hidden Risks for Children
Why Boys?
There are a few reasons why sextortion disproportionately targets teenage boys, and understanding them is important.
Boys are statistically less likely to tell a trusted adult when something has gone wrong online. They are more likely to feel shame, embarrassment, and the fear of being judged or ridiculed by their peers. That silence is exactly what these criminal networks rely on. The threat of “I will send this to everyone in your school” lands very differently on a 15-year-old who has never spoken to a parent about anything remotely connected to sex than it would on a child who has an open & honest line of communication at home.
There is also a particular cruelty to the approach. The initial contact is almost always warm, friendly, and flattering. The person on the other end will typically present as an attractive girl around the same age. They will build rapport quickly. They will share first. And then they will ask.
The whole thing can unfold in under an hour.
The App You May Never Have Heard Of: Wizz
If your teenager has a smartphone, there is a reasonable chance you have never heard of Wizz. I can promise you that they probably have.
Wizz is a friend-finding app for teenagers, and it has 16 million users. It is rated 12+ on both the Apple App Store and Google’s Play Store. It was briefly removed from both stores in early 2024 following serious safety concerns, but it was back within months, and nothing fundamentally changed.
The way it works will feel familiar if you have ever seen Tinder. You swipe through profiles and connect with people nearby, or anywhere in the world. The problem is that there is essentially nothing stopping an adult from creating an account and presenting as a teenager. Researchers have demonstrated that a 28-year-old adult can create an account as a 16-year-old in under a minute.
Canada’s child safety watchdog, Cybertip.ca, formally warned parents to delete the app from their children’s devices after finding that 91% of reports relating to Wizz involved sextortion. Documented cases linked to the platform include an 11-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl who were sexually assaulted by adults they met through it. In the United States, federal prosecutors have brought criminal charges in dozens of cases where Wizz was used as the initial contact point.
It is still available on your child’s App Store right now!
How a Sextortion Attack Unfolds
Glad you are still here, because this section is the one that matters most for helping your child recognise what is happening before it is too late.
The typical sextortion pattern using a platform like Wizz goes like this:
A young person connects with someone they believe to be around their own age
Conversation starts casually, friendly, building trust quickly
It moves toward flirting or romantic interest
The “person” shares an intimate image first, to lower defences and build false trust
They ask for one in return
Once an image is received, the tone changes immediately
Threats follow, often with a countdown timer, often with demands for money sent via gift cards or cryptocurrency, or demands for more explicit images
In many cases, the criminal gang already has the child’s contact list and threatens to send the image to friends, family, and their school
The speed is what catches children off guard. By the time they realise what is happening, they already feel there is no way out. Some pay. Some comply with further demands, hoping it will stop, which of course it does not. Some, and this is the part that keeps me awake at night, have taken their own lives before they ever told a parent.
If you take nothing else from this post, take that.
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Warning Signs to Watch For
Children who are being targeted by sextortion will rarely come forward voluntarily. But there are signs that something is wrong:
Sudden and unexplained anxiety or withdrawal, particularly after being on their phone
Becoming secretive or distressed when using devices
Unexplained purchases, money going missing, or requests for gift cards
Mentioning not wanting to go to school or avoiding friends
Abruptly stopping use of a particular app or platform
Being visibly upset or frightened after receiving a message
Trust your instincts. If something feels off, it probably is.
If Your Child Comes to You
This is not the moment for anger, and it is not the moment for “I told you so.” I know that is easier said than done, but your reaction in the first few minutes of that conversation can determine whether your child ever tells you the truth about anything online again. So here is what I would do:
Stay calm. Your child will already be terrified. If they have come to you, that took enormous courage. Meet it with the same.
Do not pay. Every instinct says pay and make it go away. But paying simply confirms the tactic works, and in almost all cases, the demands only increase.
Screenshot everything first. Before blocking, capture all conversations, profile names, usernames, and any accounts involved. This is your evidence.
Stop all contact. Block the account on every platform immediately.
Report to CEOP. The Child Exploitation and Online Protection command can be reached at ceop.police.uk. This is exactly what they are there for; it is free, confidential, and available to families in the UK.
Report to the platform. Every platform has a reporting mechanism. Use it.
Contact the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) at iwf.org.uk if any images have been shared online. They have the authority to work with platforms to have images removed.
Seek support for your child. This is a traumatic experience. Childline is available free, 24 hours a day on 0800 1111, and the counsellors understand exactly what your child is going through. (Remember, every penny of subscriptions to my blog goes to support this amazing charity)
Having the Conversation Before It Happens
The most powerful thing you can do right now, today, before any of this touches your family, is have an honest conversation with your son. You do not need to make it dramatic. You do not need to use every term in this post. You just need to open the door.
Something like: “I read something today about a type of online scam that is specifically targeting boys your age. I just want you to know what it is so you can spot it, and that if anything like that ever happened to you, you could always come to me and I would not judge you, I would help you.”
That is it. That conversation. Open, honest, non-judgmental. You are not accusing them of anything. You are not taking their phone away. You are just making sure they know the door is open.
Because here is the truth. You cannot monitor everything. You cannot block every app or check every message. But if your child knows that coming to you is safe, that is worth more than any parental control software you can buy.
FAQs
What is sextortion and how does it work? Sextortion is online blackmail using intimate or sexual images. A child is manipulated into sharing an explicit image, usually by someone pretending to be a peer, and then threatened with having that image shared unless they pay money or provide more content. It is often carried out by organised criminal gangs rather than lone individuals.
Is the Wizz app safe for my child? Based on available evidence, no. Canada’s child safety watchdog recommends parents delete it. Wizz has been linked to sextortion cases, grooming, and in documented cases the sexual assault of minors by adults who contacted them through the platform. It remains available on the App Store rated 12+.
What should I do if my child is being sextorted? Do not pay. Stop contact but preserve the evidence first. Report to CEOP (ceop.police.uk), report to the platform, and contact the Internet Watch Foundation if images have been shared. Call Childline on 0800 1111 for immediate support for your child.
How do I report sextortion in the UK? Contact CEOP at ceop.police.uk. You can also report to your local police, the Internet Watch Foundation at iwf.org.uk, and directly to the platform where the contact occurred.
Why are boys more likely to be victims of sextortion? Boys are statistically less likely to tell a trusted adult when something goes wrong online, which makes the blackmail more effective. Predators know this and deliberately target teenage boys. In 93% of documented Wizz sextortion cases where gender was known, the victim was male.
You are not alone in this. If you are reading this and thinking, “I had no idea this was happening,” most parents are in exactly the same place. The algorithms do not serve this kind of content the way they should, so the information is not reaching the people who need it most. That is exactly why I keep writing.
Sextortion is a real, growing, and devastating crime. It is targeting your sons more than your daughters. And there is an app currently sitting on the App Store, rated 12+, with 16 million users, that is being used as a hunting ground for the people who carry it out.
Talk to your son. Today, if you can.
Keep fighting the good fight, stay up-to-date and keep the conversations alive and kicking, and remember I am here to guide you through the maze as we ensure your children enjoy their online experiences and flourish in life. I don’t want them to become just another statistic, nor should you.
Useful resources: CEOP | Internet Watch Foundation | Childline — 0800 1111 (free, 24/7) |
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I am glad you are warning others about this crime. The crime does not discriminate against anyone. I also have two articles building on your points. That way, we can both advocate for families. Online crimes are just as serious as in-person crimes.
* Autism Family Online Safety: https://alliesforinclusion.substack.com/p/an-autism-parents-urgent-guide-to?r=3sqd20&utm_medium=ios
* Dating App Safety Risks: https://alliesforinclusion.substack.com/p/how-dating-apps-behave-predatory?r=3sqd20&utm_medium=ios