Safer Internet Day: Meta announces new efforts to help teens combat sextortion

In observance of Safer Internet Day, Meta today announced new efforts to help teens combat sextortion - a malicious practice that involves threats to distribute someone's intimate images unless they concede to demands for more photos, sexual favors, or money.

To begin with, Meta is expanding the "Take It Down" program to many more countries and languages. This service, provided by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), helps teens remove or stop the online sharing of nude, partially nude, or sexually explicit images or videos. Most importantly, you can remain anonymous while using the service and you won't have to send your images or videos to anyone.

Meta has collaborated with Thorn, a nonprofit that builds technology to defend children from sexual abuse, to develop updated guidance for teens on how to take back control if someone is sextorting them. The updated guidance also includes advice for parents and teachers on how to support their teens or students if they're affected by these scams.

The updated Sextortion hub can be found within Meta's Safety Center.

"Our joint initiative is already empowering parents and teens to understand the risks and take action, which is a testament to the power of collaborative action in tackling complex challenges like sextortion. The result of our collaboration underscores the importance of accessible, comprehensive resources in the digital era," said Kelbi Schnabel, Senior Manager at Thorn.

Additionally, Meta is launching a global campaign to help raise awareness of these scams and what teens and parents can do to take back control.

"Today's updates build on the work we already do to help young people know there are steps they can take if someone has shared, or is threatening to share, their intimate images," Meta wrote in a blog post.