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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
National
Dan Milmo and Libby Brooks

Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers

United Kingdom Google Meta Mark Zuckerberg United States Apple IWF MRF NSPCC
Teenage boy in yellow hooded sweater, using his cell phone leaning against a fence in a park.
Boys aged 14 to 17 accounted for 98% of the victims of blackmail recorded by the Report Remove service. Photograph: Manuel Arias Duran/Getty Images

Children are reporting online sextortion attempts in record numbers in the UK, as campaigners urge tech companies to do more to stamp out the crime.

The Report Remove service, which allows children to flag intimate images or videos of themselves that have appeared, or could appear, online, said it received 394 reports from under-18s last year of blackmail attempts after sending sexual images to predators. The figure is 34% higher than in 2024.

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