Understanding Sextortion on Snapchat and the Risks for Children
Snapchat is a popular social media app among U.S. teens and older children, with nearly a billion monthly users. The app allows users to share temporary photos and messages with others. However, recent lawsuits against Snapchat’s parent company allege that child predators have habitually used the platform to groom, extort, and sexually exploit children. Therefore, parents must understand the risks of using Snapchat and the signs to watch for to protect their children from online sexual abuse.
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Author: Kathryn Kosmides
Survivor Advocate
- Sextortion on Snapchat occurs when an adult predator coerces a child or teen into sending them explicit photos or videos of themself, and then threatens to release the photos unless the victim sends more or makes a monetary payment.
- On Snapchat, sextortion has become prevalent in recent years due to the ability to create anonymous accounts and the disappearing messages feature that can destroy evidence.
- If your child has been sexually abused on Snapchat, Helping Survivors can connect you with an experienced attorney to assist you with filing a Snapchat sex abuse lawsuit.
What Is Sextortion?
Financially motivated sextortion occurs when online predators pose as someone else—typically a child of a similar age as the victim— to coerce victims into sending them sexually explicit photos and videos, then demand payment or threaten to share the photos.
In recent years, there has been a spike in sextortion scams that deceive teens into sharing intimate images that quickly become blackmail. A 2024 Snapchat study revealed that nearly one quarter of the 6,000 13 to 24-year-olds surveyed were victims of sextortion online.
Sexual extortion has severe emotional and physical consequences for victims, with 1 in 7 youth victims reporting they have engaged in self-harm in response. Additionally, many cases go unreported due to shame or fear in victims.
Why Snapchat Is Often Used for Sextortion
Unfortunately, Snapchat has become a popular platform among child predators for contacting and extorting children. Because Snapchat photos and messages automatically disappear after a certain time period, it can be difficult for investigators to gather evidence when grooming or extortion occurs. Additionally, users can easily create anonymous accounts with fake names and ages.
Predators exploit these gaps in Snapchat’s safety features to prey on children and young teens, coercing them into sending personal information, sexually explicit images, and more.
How Sextortion on Snapchat Typically Happens
It generally takes some time for a predator to gain a child’s trust. Thus, sextortion on Snapchat typically involves several steps, such as the following:
- Contact from a Fake Profile: The predator pretends to be another teen or child to befriend the victim.
- Grooming: The predator compliments the victim, feigns shared interests, and moves the conversation to private snaps or messages.
- Request for Explicit Images: Once the predator has gained trust, they will request explicit images or videos from the victim.
- Blackmail: Once the victim has sent explicit images or videos, the predator may threaten to send the images to friends or family, post them online, and more.
- Demands Escalate: The predator will demand more explicit images and videos or money in exchange for not sharing the images.
- What Is Sextortion?
- Why Snapchat Is Often Used for Sextortion
- How Sextortion on Snapchat Typically Happens
- How You Can Protect Children From Snapchat Sextortion
- Legal Consequences for Sextortion Crimes
- Can Victims Hold Snapchat or Perpetrators Legally Accountable?
- Speak With a Child Sexual Abuse Attorney
- Snapchat Sextortion FAQ
How You Can Protect Children From Snapchat Sextortion
Parents can take the following steps to protect their children from online abuse like sextortion on Snapchat and other social platforms:
- Discuss online safety in an open manner
- Monitor social media use
- Set privacy settings
- Disable location sharing
- Encourage children to report suspicious messages
- Teach children never to send explicit photos
- Explain the importance of open communication and trust between parents and children
Legal Consequences for Sextortion Crimes
Sextortion can result in criminal prosecution if the perpetrator’s identity is known. However, parents may also be eligible to file a civil lawsuit against the perpetrator and platform operator Snap Inc. for endangering their child.
The laws and time limits for criminal prosecution of sextortion and civil lawsuits vary by state, so it’s important to speak to an attorney as soon as possible to become familiar with your state’s rules in these cases.
Can Victims Hold Snapchat or Perpetrators Legally Accountable?
In some cases of sextortion on Snapchat, you may have grounds to file an online grooming lawsuit against the perpetrator and the social media platform operator for failing to protect your child from predators. You may have a case against Snap Inc. if a predator has groomed, exploited, or otherwise sexually abused your child using the platform. In a civil child sex abuse lawsuit, you’ll need evidence like messages, photos, videos, communication records from all platforms with the predator, bank transactions if the child sent payments, and more.
Speak With a Child Sexual Abuse Attorney
If you decide to take legal action against Snap Inc. for harm that your child endured, it’s crucial to seek representation from a lawyer who specializes in online grooming and child sexual abuse cases. At Helping Survivors, we connect victims of sexual abuse and their families with resources and legal counsel to help them heal and seek accountability.
Our legal partners have years of experience filing civil lawsuits against individuals and organizations that perpetrate and enable child sexual abuse. These attorneys offer confidential, trauma-informed support and work on a contingency fee basis, so your family won’t pay anything unless they successfully resolve your case.
Snapchat Sextortion FAQ
Why Would A Child Or Teen Agree To Send Compromising Photos?
Predators make children or teens trust them before attempting to extort them for explicit images or money. On Snapchat, they may reach out to a child with a fake account, posing as a child of a similar age. They then groom the child by chatting about innocuous subjects before beginning a sexual conversation, coercing the child into sending sexually explicit photos and videos of themself. Sextortion is never the victim’s fault.
Why Do Many Children Who Are Being Extorted Not Seek Help?
Online predators may use the explicit photos or videos provided to them by the victim to extort or blackmail the victim for further photos or videos or even money. They may tell the victim to keep their relationship a secret. These threats and secrecy make it difficult for children to seek help.
How Do I Have a Conversation With My Kids About Sextortion?
Parents are the first and most important defense in protecting their children from online predators. It’s critical for parents to talk to their children early and often about the dangers of talking to strangers on Snapchat and other social media sites, as well as giving out personal information. Inform your children that safe people online will not ask for personal details or photos, and that they should be wary of chatting with strangers.
Warning Signs Your Child May Be Experiencing Sextortion
Some warning signs that your child may be experiencing grooming or sextortion online include receiving gifts, isolating themselves, being secretive about their devices and conversations online, using language that is inappropriate for their age, unknown bank transactions, and refusing to disclose where they have been or who they were with.
What to Do If Your Child Is a Victim of Snapchat Sextortion
- Stay calm and reassure the child.
- Do NOT pay the extorter.
- Save all evidence, including messages, images, videos, and more.
- Report the account to Snapchat.
- Report the behavior to law enforcement.
- Use the NCMEC CyberTipline and TakeItDown to report sextortion and remove explicit images from the internet.
- Seek legal guidance from an experienced child sexual abuse attorney.
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