Parents are being warned children as young as 12 years are being targeted to produce extreme sexual and violent content over the internet.
The Australian Federal Police said today there are rising cases of “sadistic sextortion” involving young people.
Criminals are using social media and messaging services to coerce children and young adults into self-producing explicit material to gain acceptance into extreme online communities.
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The offender will share the content with other members in the online group, who will attempt to extort the victim by threatening to send the material to their family or friends, unless the victim produces more videos and extreme content.
Soon, the victim will be pressured to supply more self-made shocking content, including specific live sex acts, animal cruelty, serious self-harm, and live online suicide.
In some cases the criminals behind the extortion attempts are the same age as the victims, the AFP said.
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One case in Western Australia from 2022 involved a 14-year-old offender accused of sadistic sextortion.
Police seized their phone and later identified child abuse material (CAM) and videos of animal cruelty. The offender was charged and received a juvenile caution.
AFP Commander of Human Exploitation Helen Schneider said most criminals in extreme online groups were not motivated by money, but were instead sought status within the group.
“Unlike sextortion, these offenders are not motivated by financial gain. Instead, they are driven by exploiting vulnerable victims into producing abhorrent content for their deranged amusement,” she said.
Parents and guardians are being urged to look out for warning signs young people are being coerced online.
They include increased screen time on computers or phones, isolating themselves from friends and family or being secretive about who they are interacting with online.
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