Stages Of Online Sexual Exploitation
What makes predators especially dangerous is that they know how to target and manipulate the people they want to exploit. They do this by playing the role of boyfriend, best friend or caregiver.
Role-play & Grooming
What makes predators especially dangerous is that they know how to target and manipulate the people they want to exploit. They do this by playing the role of boyfriend, best friend or caregiver. In the grooming stage, a predator will ask their target questions to learn about their secrets, vulnerabilities and insecurities. Once they have earned your trust, they may even ask you to perform sexual acts online, share pornographic content or send sexually explicit media that will later be used to blackmail them.
Manipulation & Exploitation
Blackmail is a form of manipulation that happens when someone forces you to do something you don’t want to do using threats. For instance, they may threaten to share a secret you told them or share or publicly post sexual photos or videos. Manipulation is a big part of online sexual exploitation, and if this is happening to you and you are being blackmailed, it’s not your fault. Here’s what you can do:
Do not respond, even if the person you are communicating with can see that you’ve read their message.
Don’t give in to the threat.
Take screenshots of the conversation.
Tell someone you trust.
If you are being exploited online, here is a resource that can help.
