TRANSCRIPT
It's a global issue that's claimed young lives silently and behind closed doors.
"Jordan received his first text message at 10:15 PM and he took his life at 3:45 that next morning, so less than six hours. And everybody was sleeping at our household so we had zero chance to even recognise what was happening."
That's John Demay talking to Fox News of his son Jordan who died by suicide after being targeted by online scammers trying to extort money after tricking teens into sending sexual pictures and videos.
Two Nigerian brothers have pleaded guilty to charges of sexually extorting Jordan Demay after the boy engaged with someone he assumed was a woman who then threatened to share an intimate photo of him with family and friends if he didn't pay them.
His story is just one among a growing number of children who have been sexually extorted over the internet.
The FBI says there were more than 13,000 reports of so called "sextortion" in the 17 months to March last year, with at least 20 per cent of those leading to suicide.
Former detective and cyber crime expert Brett Lee says the dangerous scams have also made their way to Australia's shores.
"It's not only overseas, it's very well documented here. The office of the eSafety commissioner said it's one of the big crime movements against young children in Australia at the moment."
Australia's online safety body has noted close to 10,000 reports of image-based abuse last financial year alone.
It was announced on Monday that two Nigerian scammers have been arrested over the death of a New South Wales teen last year.
The boy is believed to have taken his life after engaging online with an unknown person who threatened to share personal photos of him if he didn't pay $500.
In response to the wave of deadly scams, social media giant Meta has unveiled new tools it claims will help combat the growing sextortion issue.
The new measures include automatic blurring of naked images on Instagram's direct message service along with a warning to users that the images could be shared.
There will also be clearer options to block and report users, and links to support those who feel pressured to reciprocate or think they're being tricked.
However, cyber crime expert Brett Lee says such measures only go so far, and that it's ultimately up to parents and carers to look out for signs their child may be the victim of sexual extortion.
"It's how the child is manifesting that in the physical world, whether they're having nightmares they can't sleep, they don't want to go to school, they seem very reserved of they're getting aggressive. Now how we address this best is going back to the basics, something that's worked for us for all of time and that's continuing communication with children. That is the key."
The eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant says she welcomes moves by tech companies to make their platforms safer but acknowledged one of the ongoing challenges has been limited transparency around what companies are doing.
If you or someone you know needs crisis support, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14, the Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467 or, for young people aged up to 25, Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800.
