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Quinte protectsOnline Child Safety Initiative
Founded and led byCyberTECT
I need help now
Ages 13-15

Name sextortion, image abuse and coercion directly

Teens need plain language about sexual pressure, fabricated images and financial threats. Avoiding the subject leaves offenders to define it for them.

Parent focus: At this age, the strongest protection is a believable exit route. A teen must know they can ask for help before paying, sending more content or disappearing into shame.
Their online world may include
  • private, encrypted and disappearing messages
  • social accounts connected to school peers, followers and teams
  • gaming communities, livestreams and external chat servers
  • video calls, content creation, payment apps and saved cards
Prepare for
  • a false peer account requesting intimate content
  • recording a video call, livestream or chat without consent
  • AI-generated or altered intimate images used as a threat
  • demands for money, gift cards, crypto, silence or more images
Signals to take seriously
  • panic, shame, sleep disruption or sudden withdrawal after device use
  • urgent attempts to get money, gift cards, prepaid cards or crypto
  • deleting accounts, wiping messages or changing social handles
  • phrases like “everyone will know,” “my life is over” or “I can't tell anyone”
A conversation starter

If someone threatens to expose an image, do not pay and do not send more. Come to me immediately. You are not responsible for the offender's crime, and we will use the proper reporting and support route.

Questions worth asking

  • What would make someone feel trapped into paying or sending more?
  • Which adult could you contact if you were too scared to tell me first?
  • How would we preserve report details without spreading an intimate image further?
Official guidance

Use these sources to go deeper.

Quinte Protects translates the risk locally. These links point families back to the Canadian child-protection and public-safety resources that should remain the authority.

NeedHelpNow.ca

Practical help for youth when an intimate image has been shared or threatened.

Find current official guidance.

Platform controls, safety settings and age rules change. Use ProtectKidsOnline.ca and each platform's official parent or safety centre for the latest instructions.

Open ProtectKidsOnline.ca →View help routes →