There’s a New Game in Town: Sextortion

Photo credit: Iso Brown FR on Visualhunt.com

Hello everyone, I hope all is well with you. I’m back today after a busy week of work and writing. I’ve had a breakthrough on my story. Hopefully it’ll work. Fingers crossed. But enough about that, today I’m stepping on the parenting bandwagon, and I’d like to talk about sextortion. It’s something new that’s happening to our kids. This has me deeply concerned.

First of all, what is Sextorition?

This is blackmail in real time, as seen through messages from teenage victims of “sextortion,” who have been lured into sharing intimate images, then stung – in many cases, by criminal gangs. “

This starts as an innocent friend request on social media. Then the perpetrator chats with the teen and builds his trust. Then when they hook him, they ask for a naked selfie. Once the teen complies, they tell him to send money, or they’ll share the pic with all his friends and followers.

Photo credit: on VisualHunt.com

Young teens will empty their bank accounts to prevent exposure. Some have even committed suicide because they’re so ashamed. As a parent this makes me so angry I could spit nails.

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We need to educate our children about this. I’ve spoken with my boys, and I’m confident they won’t fall for this kind of extortion, but there are millions of kids out there who don’t have an angry momma bear looking out for them.

Some kids grow up in stressful households where parents can’t give them the attention they need. So, they look elsewhere to get their needs met. Some kids only have their friends and followers for validation. You see where I’m going with this, don’t you?

We need to take care of the emotional needs of our kids. So, they won’t go looking for validation from other sources. It’s tough when they’re teens, though. They’re trying to be more independent, they don’t always share their thoughts and feelings with their parents. So, we need to keep a vigilant eye on them.

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Do they seem more stressed lately? Are they asking for money? Offering to do extra chores to make it? This is when we need to start asking questions. Your teen may feel you’re being intrusive, but a little discomfort is a small price to pay to keep them safe.

Thanks for reading my post. Have you had any experience with this? Leave a comment! I’d love to hear from you!