Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentIndependentSwipe for next articleIndependent Bulletin homepageDownload our appAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleHarriette BoucherTuesday 07 April 2026 19:32 BSTThe Report Remove helpline received 394 sextortion claims last year (Dominic Lipinski/PA)A record number of British children reported being blackmailed over sexual images of themselves, known as sextortion, in 2025.The Report Remove helpline received 394 sextortion claims last year, marking a 23 per cent increase from the previous year.Young boys, primarily aged 14 to 17, accounted for a staggering 98 per cent of these sexually coerced extortion reports.Organisations like the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) and Childline highlight the severe emotional impact on victims and call for more support and education, particularly for boys.There are calls for the government to implement measures such as on-device nudity detection and blocking to prevent children from sending such images.In fullRecord number of children reporting online sextortion in UK, data revealsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in