Grooming, Sextortion & Image-Sharing

Calm, direct guidance on how grooming unfolds, what sextortion looks like, and how to respond — without shame or blame.

Please do not upload, email or paste suspected child sexual abuse material to this site. Report it directly to the IWF, CEOP or police instead.

1. What it is

Grooming is when someone builds a trusting, emotional relationship with a child — and often the family too — so they can exploit them. Online it can involve secrecy, gifts, flattery, pressure, threats, requests to move platforms, or requests for images and video. Sextortion is a specific form: a child is persuaded to share intimate images, then blackmailed with threats to share them. The CEOP Safety Centre (National Crime Agency) investigates both.

2. Warning signs (five to watch)

• Secrecy — hiding screens, deleting messages, new private apps.
• Gifts or money — in-game items, vouchers, or "treats" with no explanation.
• Flattery & pressure — "you're so mature", then "prove you trust me".
• Moving platforms — from a public game/app to private DM, WhatsApp or Snapchat.
• Threats — "I'll tell everyone / send your photos" if they refuse.

3. What a child can do

• Stop responding — you don't owe a blackmailer anything.
• Don't pay, don't send more — paying never ends it, it fuels it.
• Block and report on the platform, and save evidence (screenshots of usernames and messages).
• Tell a trusted adult immediately — you will not be in trouble, and it is never your fault.
• Report to CEOP — they deal with this every day and know exactly what to do.

4. What a parent/carer can do

• Stay calm and non-judgemental — how you react determines whether your child ever tells you anything again.
• Say it's not their fault, out loud, more than once.
• Preserve evidence — screenshots, usernames, dates; don't delete the account or messages yet.
• Report to CEOP (ceop.police.uk) — grooming, coercion or sexual contact involving a child.
• If images of an under-18 are involved, report the URL to the IWF (iwf.org.uk) too.

5. Report & support

• CEOP: ceop.police.uk — grooming, sexual exploitation, suspicious contact.
• IWF: iwf.org.uk — sexual images/videos of under-18s found online.
• NSPCC: 0808 800 5000 — advice for adults worried about a child.
• Childline: 0800 1111 — confidential support for children and young people.
• Immediate danger: call 999.

🚨 You do not need proof to report

A genuine concern is enough. CEOP triages every report.