With social apps being the second homes, Instagram alone occupies a significant place in teenagers’ lives. It is the place they converse, link and form friendship with other people online. Yet, under its lively social curtain the criminal threat is blooming—sextortion. Lately, Instagram has been actively informing teenagers about this type cybercrime and stressing sex extortion as an important issue. The relative novelty in the online community, however, leaves many unstated or unaware of what sextortion is, and more importantly, how teenagers and their parents can shield themselves from it.
Understanding Sextortion
Sextortion is a kind of black mail in which a person is coerced into performing certain favours to the person holding the intimate images of the former person. That’s an awful thing to do since it exploits people’s weakness – accounts belonging to teenagers are especially susceptible because they often fail to comprehend the consequences of publishing their content on the internet.
The evil often begins with a hacker or a predator getting into private photos or videos. This can be via phishing or signing up with a fake profile, or even when one of the victim’s friends decides to extort money from them. The next step is threats and black mail where the predator asks for money or more images of the child not to release the material.
Thus the reaction among many teens is an overwhelming feeling of fear of exposure. They may experience a feeling of being trapped, embarrased or in doubt as to who they can talk to. Hence why it is important for parents and guardians to know the threat and discuss with their children about it.
The use of Instagram in the Extension of Awareness
Thus, to recall, Instagram has the young audience primarily, that is why it started launching campaigns with the purpose of raising awareness of the sextortion problem. Thus, using its platform, Instagram wants to raise awareness of the dangers and features of sextortion and equip teens with necessary protection.
Some resources are available within the app, and the alerts are part of the initiative as well. These resources help inform the users on how to protect their accounts, know when they are violated and primarily where to report a sextortion attempt. It is clear through Instagram’s efforts that it is far better for Internet companies to be proactive than reactive when it comes to online safety.
Ways in Which Teenagers Can Protect Themselves
Just knowing that sextortion exists is the best way to protect oneself. Teenagers should realize that sending or sharing intimate photos or messages online, even to your close friends, always poses danger. Although, Instagram is doing all it can capture and minimize on cases that may bring such results, the individual has to be more cautious.
The privacy options are figured such that teenagers will be in a position to check their settings now and then. Restricting the audience under which students can post their content reduces the chances of exposing work to people who may get annoyed by it. They must also avoid joining groups with strangers, they should not accept friends request from strangers, and ensure to confirm the true identity of everyone they have online acquaintance.
Education is key. The better the teens comprehend various strategies employed in sextortion scams, the better they will be placed to detect such threats. Instagram has sources which explain these strategies and can assist its audience with becoming more careful in interaction with such platforms.
Cybersecurity: Parents’ Role
Even though young people are not newcomers to the use of technology, their parents remain the main gatekeepers. It also means that the communication should be open: without restrictions in any way. It is recommended that parents should provide materials concerning the safety of the children on the internet so that teenagers should feel free to talk over the problems without fear of being scolded or be accused.
Supervision of activities that take place in cyberspace may be a complex process. Parents while selecting an outfit for their teenaged child have to respect the teenager’s privacy while at the same time make sure they don’t dress seductively to the extent of being unsafe. Parents are able to listen to their children to explain to them whatever they are experiencing online, and join the children to set limits and practices on what should not be done online since there are children who have a way of circumventing parental control locks.
Parents can learn how such platforms as Instagram is being used and therefore can help their teens. Just like any other aspects of Adolescents’ lives, parents are in a better position to guide their teenagers, having been enlightened on some of the safety features that comes with privacy settings.
The First Steps Towards Identifying Sextortion
Just being aware of such attempts helps prevent their progression and escalation at worst, or rejection and ignoring at best. Since there are many possible signs people should be alerted, here are several of them that youngsters and their parents should pay attention to. Demanding for sex pictures or money and using forceful language should be a red flag for any person.
Victims often feel isolated. Teen should also look sad, look anxious or look secretive whenever they are online.
In such investigations, parents should adopt an embracing outlook, and engage the children in discussions.
It is important to report such behaviours. Instagram allows its users to easily report Sextortion attempts to ensure the platform will continue keeping a close eye out for it. This is due to the fact that where the attack is reported early enough further harm can be stopped and the culprits easily apprehended.
Sex/extortion help for victims
Sextortion is something no person should endure all on their own. There are many resources to help victims and bring their power and identity back from the anonymity of the internet. Blogging websites such as the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative provide assistance and advice to bring justice against the perpetrators.
Another place where people can get more information about sextortion is on Instagram’s help center. The recommended step by step method and reporting of incidents enables the victims to be empowered in the pursuit of a resolution or healing process.
Another solution is professional counseling who could help to change a thinking pattern in the child. Sextortion is traumatizing, and mental health specialists help treat the victim in order to help them come to terms with what they have gone through.
Your support system: How to create one
Communities have an important part to play in the fight against sextortion. Hence, integrating both Offline and Online Teens platform incidents and effects, there is need to ensure that teens are protected by providing an enabling environment to support such communities.
Voting on its issues, donating to or supporting awareness campaigns, and posting it in community forums can help spread the word. Organizations such as schools, community centres and internet forums, should stage events that educate people about the issue of sextortion, and safe ways to conduct oneself on the internet.
Self-organised peer support is as crucial as well. Tdents self seek comfort and advice from friends during the teenage hood. It may also encourage them to focus on watching out for each other and learning on how to help each other when attacked by cyber threats.
Future Steps for Enhanced Safety
Even more commendable is the ongoing effort that Instagram has been making towards creating awareness of sextortion. Security is an area that needs constant enhancement of security measures and constant production of new educational materials all the time.
To build on these initiatives, outside partnerships with cyber defense industry and law enforcement as well as academic institutions can be useful.
The coordination may help to offer the necessary multipronged approaches because it aims to offer prevention and response mechanisms.
For the people, it is very important to remain up to date and to remain active. The world as a whole goes digital, which is why it is essential to know the novelties of the existing digital environment and threats.
Sextortion- A form of domestic violence that can be prosecuted and combatted: Taking action.
Sextortion is a grave offense in any society, however, when the individuals and society in general comes across such incidences, then the effects can be brought under control. If people are aware of what may happen, young individuals are informed, and conversation is encouraged, the idea of sextortion can be eliminated all together.
Instagram, parents and educators seem to have this responsibility in their hands. Together they can make sure that the internet will stay connected place for opportunity and sharing not for fear for being attacked and raped.
With regard to access to information for individuals who want to learn more and contribute, there are many websites and groups created solely to address sextortion. It may take only one post and sharing about this crime to prevent you or a loved one from becoming a victim of this crime.
final thoughts
The internet uses connection and learning probability and chances are almost limitless but it requires awareness concerning the potential dangers involved. Sextortion is on the rise, mainly targeting adolescents but, armed with the necessary resources and understanding, preventable.
That said, it is comforting to see that Instagram is working towards creating awareness of Sextortion. In this way, they enlighten a user and provide material that ensures that their community is safe. But that is not all the case all the time as it is followed by the following responsibilities. Children, teachers, and people in general must also do their part about safety and support as well.
In this way, we can prevent the internet to turn into a rather negative space that people use to demean other users. The discussion about sextortion ought to go on and so too should the mission of raising awareness, letting affected teens, families and friends know about the issue.
