Stats and facts

1 in 4 9-17-year-olds have reported they flirted and had conversations about dating or being romantic with people they only knew online (Thorn, 2022).

Sources- Thorn and NCMEC

Tactics used by predators to entice youth

• Buying their friendship with gifts (i.e.  game currency, in-game items, free movie, game passes, cell phone minutes/internet data plans, gift cards, etc.)
• Spending a lot of time gaming or chatting with them online daily
• Telling them to keep their friendship, gifts, or other requests a secret
• Taking them off site onto other chat platforms or coerce them into creating a new social media account

Source- Evergreen Caregiver Support

Common online sites for predators

CyberTipline in 2022 identified these social media platforms to be the most common internet sites for sextortion. Please keep in mind that any platform designed for connecting or uploading content is a vulnerable environment to online perpetrators.

• Discord, Omegle, WhatsApp, Wizz- chat apps
• Google, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, Snapchat, X (Twitter)- social media sites
• Grindr, Tinder, Wink- dating platforms
• Fortnite and Twitch- video game platforms

Additional statistics and research

Visit the Facts and Stats page, click here.