The AFP is warning parents and guardians over a concerning online trend emerging in Australia involving young victims who are being coerced into producing extreme sexual and violent content over the internet.
Sadistic sextortion is a rising online crime type that involves extreme online groups targeting children as young as twelve years old on social media and messaging platforms to coerce them to self-produce explicit material to gain acceptance into extreme online communities.
These online communities use different names and monikers to operate on social media or messaging platforms, and consist of members from all around the world. To gain access to a majority of these groups, prospective members are coerced by group members to produce or live-stream explicit content online.
In some cases, the offenders are the same age as the victims being targeted.
AFP intelligence has identified that sadistic sextortion offenders will initiate an online relationship with a victim on social media or messaging platform before encouraging them to produce an image or video performing an explicit sexual or violent act.
The offender will then share the content with other members in the online group, who will attempt to extort the victim by threatening to share the material with their family or friends, unless the victim produces more videos and extreme content.
The offender will relentlessly demand more content from victims that often continues to escalate in its seriousness including specific live sex acts, animal cruelty, serious self-harm, and live online suicide.
The Western Australia Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team (WA JACET) commenced an investigation into reports of an alleged serious sadistic sextortion offender in WA, 14, accused of targeting victims around the world in 2022.
Police seized the offender's phone and later identified child abuse material (CAM) and videos of animal cruelty.
The offender was charged and received a juvenile caution in relation to the matter.
AFP Commander of Human Exploitation and the AFP-led Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE) Helen Schneider said intelligence received by the ACCCE suggested most offenders in extreme online groups were not motivated by money, but were instead focused on obtaining status or notoriety 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," Commander Schneider said.
"Unfortunately, some victims in these groups, do not see themselves as victims. They do not believe they are being coerced into performing these extremely horrific acts and therefore are unlikely to report it to the authorities.
"Without information or assistance from victims and members of the public, it can be extremely difficult for police to identify offenders and shutdown these dangerous groups."
Commander Schneider said the AFP urged parents and guardians to be aware of the warning signs of young people being groomed by coercive groups online.
'If parents believe their child is engaging in harmful activity online, it's important to have a conversation with them to understand the situation and provide appropriate support," Commander Schneider said.
"Warning signs children may be engaging in harmful activity online may include increased screen-time on computers or phones, isolating themselves from friends and family or being secretive about who they are interacting with online.
"Whether a child is or has been a victim of sextortion online, please reassure them it's not their fault and report it to the ACCCE."
If you think you are a victim or know of someone who is a victim of sadistic sextortion:
- DO stop the chat
- DO take screen shots of the text and profile
- DO block the account and report it to the platform
- DO get support from a trusted friend or family member, or professional support services and seek mental health support if required. Kids Helpline offers free and confidential sessions with counsellors.
- DO report the crime to the ACCCE
- DON'T send more images or pay as this will lead to more demands
- DON'T respond to demands
- DON'T enter into further communication
- DON'T think you are alone
If you're concerned about your or someone else's safety, dial Triple Zero (000) or contact your local police station.
The AFP and its partners are committed to stopping child exploitation and abuse and the ACCCE is driving a collaborative national approach to combatting child abuse.
The ACCCE brings together specialist expertise and skills in a central hub, supporting investigations into online child sexual exploitation and developing prevention strategies focused on creating a safer online environment.
Members of the public who have information about people involved in child abuse are urged to contact the ACCCE at www.accce.gov.au/report. If you know abuse is happening right now or a child is at risk, call police immediately on 000.
If you or someone you know is impacted by child sexual abuse and online exploitation, support services are available at www.accce.gov.au/support.
Research conducted by the ACCCE in 2020 revealed only about half of parents talked to their children about online safety. Advice and support for parents and carers about how they can help protect children online can be found at www.thinkuknow.org.au, an AFP-led education program designed to prevent online child sexual exploitation.
