Concern over increase bad behavior online, including doubling of sextortion cases

The number of people asking for advice regarding transgressive behavior online has risen sharply. The number of sextortion cases that the assistance organization Helpwanted had to deal with has doubled in the last few years.

Over 5,000 people asked somebody for advice in 2023 regarding the subject, which is worrying the organization. This was stated in the annual report from Offlimits, of which Helpwanted is part. Sextortion is when a victim is threatened or blackmailed by the culprit who is threatening to share intimate photos or videos online. The perpetrator usually asks the victim to send more intimate images, to perform sexual acts, or even for money.

“These are shocking numbers. Because they are not just numbers, there is a victim behind every sextortion case on which the extortion can have a disruptive influence. And we know that a lot of victims do not look for help. The 5,000 people who contacted Helpwanted are only the tip of the iceberg,” said Nikki-Lee Janssen, a team leader at Helpwanted. “This growth also shows the persistence of online transgressive behavior.”

The Reporting Point of Child Pornography is also a part of Offlimits. Just like in previous years, the Reporting Point of Child Pornography received hundreds of thousands of reports of possible imagery of child sexual abuse on the internet. Many images were taken down instantly, but many times the material kept returning online. The Reporting Point of Child Pornography said this has to change.

The annual report also states that 796 people contacted the helpline Stop it Now on 1,716 occasions because they were worried about their own sexual behavior or feelings towards children and teenagers.

It was mainly young men who made contact because they saw videos of sexual abuse. Almost half of the men in question were 26 or younger, Stop it Now reported.