Get help To Stop Sextortion
Take control.
If you’re asked to share something that makes you uncomfortable, you have a right to say no, even if you already shared something with them before. If they try to make you feel bad, just remember: THEY are the ones who are doing something wrong.
Talk with someone you trust.
Addressing your feelings is important, and talking with people who care about you can help, like a close friend, teacher, counselor, or parent. Don’t know where to start? You can start a conversation like this:
“There’s something going on in my life that I need help with. I’m not sure who to talk to – if I tell you, can you help me figure out what to do?“
Though you may hesitate because the threats seem stronger than the benefit of resisting, here is evidence showing that resisting is usually ideal.
Reaching out is the best thing you can do. The people around you want what is the best for you. They may be angry at first, but at the end, they will not love you any less… They might even gain some respect for your courage.
Get help.
Confidentially speak with a trained counselor. They will help you move from a hot moment to a cool moment and are trained to support people in crisis. Learn more about how it works here.
Report sextortion.
Tech companies can help remove images and in some cases remove the threats. You can report both the people threatening you, their threats, and the images if they’ve been shared. This removal guide has steps to make reports on many major platforms.
You can also call the police. Some victims told us that police resolved the situation, but you should know that if police get involved, you could face some consequences too. It’s illegal to share sexual images of minors even if they are of you. Most of the time, we recommend starting off with a trusted adult, and deciding together how to include police.
Mention if your age is under 18.
If you are under 18, say that you are under 18 (even if your profile has a different age). It helps companies to know that
you’re legally still a minor and take more aggressive action. Also, if you are a minor in the images, you can report them to National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They work hard to keep young people safe, and will make your report available to law enforcement.
Save everything.
This probably feels like the opposite of what you were thinking, but keep everything that is being said to you and that you have said. This will help show someone what happened instead of just relying on your memory. Save texts, pictures, videos, websites, etc. You can take screenshots and save webpages as PDFs. Save everything just in case.
Change all of your passwords.
If someone knows your passwords, change them immediately to maintain your privacy. Tools like lastpass can help keep your privacy, private.
#NoShame #StopSextortion
