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What to do if…
your child is being blackmailed or threatened online for sexual images or money

Produced and maintained by PanicStation.org Published: Last reviewed: Editorial policy UK guide

Short answer

Get your child to a calm, safe space and make it clear they are not in trouble. Do not pay, send images, negotiate, or forward any sexual images. Record non-explicit details, report through CEOP unless you have already reported to police or children’s social care, and call 999 if anyone is in immediate danger.

Do not do these things

  • Don’t pay, send gift cards, crypto, bank transfers, or anything else to try to make it stop; paying can lead to more demands.
  • Don’t send more images, join a video call, or agree to “prove” anything.
  • Don’t tell your child off, threaten punishment, or take their phone away as a first reaction; it can make them feel trapped and stop them sharing key details.
  • Don’t forward, download, copy, upload, or re-share any sexual image or video of an under-18.
  • Don’t get into an emotional exchange with the person making threats, and don’t make threats back.
  • Don’t delete accounts or chats before you have recorded the non-explicit identifiers needed for reports.

What to do now

  1. Stabilise your child first. Sit with them, stay calm, and say clearly: “You did the right thing telling me. We can deal with this together.” If you are worried they may hurt themselves, cannot stay safe, or someone is coming to them now, call 999.

  2. Check for immediate danger. Ask only what you need to know right now: whether the person knows their address, school, regular location, phone number, or has threatened to come in person. If there is a credible immediate risk, call 999.

  3. Record the non-explicit details. Write down or safely save:

    • the username, handle, display name, phone number, email address, or profile link
    • the app or platform used
    • the date and time of the threats
    • what was demanded, such as money, gift cards, more images, or a video call
    • any payment details given, such as bank details, wallet addresses, payment usernames, or gift card requests

  4. Do not save or share sexual images of an under-18. If an explicit image appears, do not download, copy, forward, or show it to other people. Do not upload it anywhere except through an official reporting or removal route, such as Report Remove, if that service asks for it. For reporting, focus on non-explicit threat messages, usernames, profile pages, profile links, and payment demands.

  5. Report in the app, then block. Use the platform’s report tool for sexual exploitation, blackmail, grooming, or threats. After reporting, block the account and tighten privacy settings so unknown people cannot message, tag, add, or view your child’s posts where the platform allows this.

  6. Report to CEOP unless you have already reported to police or children’s social care. CEOP is the UK reporting route for concerns about online sexual abuse or the way someone has been communicating with a child online. If you have already reported the same concern to police or children’s social care, you generally do not need to make a separate CEOP report.

  7. Use police routes when police help is needed. Call 999 for immediate danger. For non-emergency police contact, you can use your local police online reporting route or call 101, especially if there are ongoing threats, a known local person, in-person risk, or money has been taken.

  8. Use Report Remove if sexual images may be online. If your child is under 18 in the UK and nude or sexual images or videos of them may be online, help them use Childline and IWF’s Report Remove service to confidentially report the content and seek removal where possible.

  9. If money has been sent, contact the bank, card provider, or payment service now. Ask whether the payment can be stopped, recalled, frozen, or marked as fraud. Keep transaction references and payment details for the report.

  10. If school is involved, use safeguarding channels. If the person is a pupil, the threat involves school devices, or your child is too distressed to attend school, contact the school’s Designated Safeguarding Lead. Share only the essential facts and do not share sexual images.

What can wait

  • You do not need to decide today whether to confront another child, another parent, the school community, or the wider family.
  • You do not need to complete a deep search of your child’s phone right now; focus on safety, non-explicit identifiers, reporting, and support.
  • You do not need to write a perfect account before asking for help; rough notes of usernames, dates, demands, and platforms are enough to start.
  • You do not need to decide longer-term phone rules while your child is frightened.

Important reassurance

This is a tactic used to frighten young people into secrecy. Your child telling you is a protective step. Even if your child shared something, the wrongdoing is the threatening, coercive, or blackmailing behaviour, not your child asking for help.

Scope note

These are first steps to reduce immediate harm, keep your child safer, and get the right safeguarding routes involved. Later decisions about platform follow-up, school safeguarding, police updates, and emotional support may need specialist help.

Important note

This guide is general information only. It is not legal, medical, therapeutic, safeguarding, policing, or other professional advice. If you believe a child is in immediate danger, call 999.

Additional Resources

Closely connected guides that may be useful during the same situation or its immediate aftermath.

About this guide

This guide was produced and is maintained by PanicStation.org using its published editorial process. Official and specialist sources are checked where relevant, and AI-assisted tools may be used for drafting, organisation, and consistency checks. The site operator remains responsible for publication, revision, and removal decisions.

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