What to know about teen online safety as 1 in 5 teens experience sextortion
Oregon quadruples task force size as online predators target vulnerable youth
(InvestigateTV) — One in five teens and young adults have experienced sextortion, according to a 2025 survey by Thorn, a child safety nonprofit.
The organization surveyed 1,200 people between the ages of 13 and 20, revealing the growing scope of a crime that typically begins with someone posing as a child or teen online to build relationships and eventually coerce young victims to send explicit content.
According to the FBI, criminals then threaten to release the compromising content publicly unless the child pays a large sum of money.
“These kids are at this vulnerable age of being adolescents and even as young as 7 years old, really feel like they have no one to talk to and nowhere to turn and their life is over,” Jacinta Miller of FBI Atlanta said.
Tracking predators across borders
Authorities say finding and prosecuting these predators can be difficult because the online nature of the crimes means they can be anywhere in the world. But agents say that doesn’t deter them from getting justice for children.
Most sextortion cases start with a conversation on platforms like Instagram, Roblox, Snapchat, Call of Duty or anywhere on the internet with a chat function.
“Someone there is pretending to be of like age or whatever. And so they start engaging and become a friend and they ask for explicit images,” Mark Williamson, who leads Oregon’s Task Force on Internet Crimes Against Children, said.
“Very quickly it turns to, ‘Now I need money or I’m going to now send all your pictures that you just sent me to your family and friends that I just took off of your Instagram,’” Williamson said.
Oregon expands resources
Oregon has dramatically increased its response to the growing threat. Over the last five years, cyber tips have increased from about 1,000 to more than 10,000 per year.
Digital forensics are critical, according to Williamson.
“They’re critical. Almost every case in law enforcement these days involves at least a phone,” Williamson said.
The task force also uses Flora, an electronic storage detection dog trained to find devices that can store or transmit data, including cellphones, hard drives and SD cards.
“She’s found devices that may have otherwise been missed on searches,” Detective Kathryn Meier of the Milwaukie Police Department said.
Difficult conversations
Law enforcement agents must break the news to parents about crimes being committed against their children.
“They’re very uncomfortable and oftentimes the parents really have no idea what’s going on,” Williamson said.
Experts say parents need to better monitor their children’s online activities.
Child abuse expert Dr. Antonia Chiesa said starting conversations about boundaries early is key and to use a calm and supportive approach with open-ended questions.
“Really let them know that you’re a safe resource and that if they have questions or if they find themselves like in a, in a scary situation, like they stumble online to something worrisome, that you’re a safe person to go to and tell so that they’re not going to get in trouble,” Chiesa said.
How to recognize signs of sextortion
In 2025, Facebook’s parent company Meta launched an online course designed to help teens recognize the signs of sextortion.
Copyright 2026 Gray Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
