Children in UK report online sextortion attempts in record numbers

<p>Exclusive: Call for nudity-detection tech on phones as number of under-18s reporting blackmail attempts rises by 34%</p><p>• <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/07/ashamed-scared-how-online-friendship-became-sextortion-nightmare">‘I felt ashamed and scared’: how an online friendship became a sextortion nightmare</a></p><p>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.</p><p>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.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/apr/07/children-uk-report-online-sextortion-attempts-record-numbers">Continue reading...</a>