Police warn online child sex exploitation on the rise

Police in Victoria have warned there’s been a “marked increase” in reports of online child sexual exploitation and many of the victims are teenage males.

At least 100 families have reported instances of teenagers, some as young as 14, falling victim to online child sexual exploitation.

Detectives from the Victorian Joint Anti Child Exploitation Team say offenders engage victims on social media, purporting to be a young girl or boy of a similar age.

They send them what they claim are intimate images of themselves, coercing their victims into sending sexualised personal images back.

The offenders then threaten to share the contact and make demands for money or cryptocurrency.

Police believe the crimes are under-reported, and they urging parents to have the brave, age appropriate conversation with their children around personal safety online.

Press PLAY below to hear the warning from police