HOUGHTON — On March 24, The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Washington Field Office published a Public Service Announcement warning parents and caregivers about an increase in incidents involving sextortion of young children and teens. The FBI has been receiving an increasing number of reports of adults posing as young girls coercing young boys through social media to produce sexual images and videos and then extorting money from them, the release states.

Just six months earlier, on Sept. 2, 2021, the agency issued a similar statement, saying: “The FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) warns about a large increase in the number of sextortion complaints.”

The same Public Service Announcement went on to report that as of July 31, 2021, the FBI IC3 had received over 16,000 sextortion complaints in 2021, with losses exceeding $8 million.

Sextortion, states the Mar. 24 announcement, begins when an adult contacts a minor over any online platform used to meet and communicate, such as a game, app, or social media account. In a scheme that has recently become more prevalent, the predator (posing as a young girl) uses deception and manipulation to convince a young male, usually 14 to 17 years old, to engage in explicit activity over video, which is then secretly recorded by the predator. The predator then reveals that they have made the recordings and attempts to extort the victim for money to prevent them from being posted online.

“These predators are really good at targeting youth,” said Special Agent Kiffa Shirley in the FBI’s Billings Resident Agency in Montana (part of the Salt Lake City Field Office). “Young people don’t seem to have an on-guard mentality when it comes to strangers contacting them through the Internet,” said Shirley. “And many teens feel less inhibited about sharing online.”

The reason for this is simply that children and teens do not have the development of the prefrontal cortex of the brain, which controls responses to situations and use of judgment and awareness of consequences. Predators know this; unfortunately, many parents do not.

Stanford Children’s Health in its report, “Understanding the Teen Brain,” took the topic further, explaining the personal aspects of those victimized by sextortion.

The report stated that recent research found that adult and teen brains work differently. Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the brain’s rational part.

“This is the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences,” the report said. “Teens process information with the amygdala. This is the emotional part.”

Teens need their parents’ guidance, the report states, even though they may think they do not:

“Understanding their development can help you support them in becoming independent, responsible adults.”

The Australian parenting website raisingchildren.net.au explains that the main change in the human teenage brain is that “unused connections in the thinking and processing part of your child’s brain (called the grey matter) are ‘pruned’ away. At the same time, other connections are strengthened.” This is the brain’s way of becoming more efficient, based on the “use it or lose it” principle, the article says.

This pruning process begins in the back of the brain. The front part of the brain, the prefrontal cortex, is remodeled last. The prefrontal cortex is the decision-making part of the brain, responsible for your child’s ability to plan and think about the consequences of actions, solve problems and control impulses. Changes in this part of the brain continue into early adulthood.

“Because the prefrontal cortex is still developing, teenagers might rely on a part of the brain called the amygdala to make decisions and solve problems more than adults do,” the article states. “The amygdala is associated with emotions, impulses, aggression and instinctive behavior.”

If a teen approaches a parent with the topic of sextortion, it is important that parents remember that while adults rely on the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that responds to situations with good judgment and an awareness of long-term consequences, teenagers’ brains have not yet reached that stage, and therefore, are not always aware of the consequences of posting compromising photographs of themselves on the internet can carry.

“You’re the most important role model your kids have,” states Stanford Children’s Health. “Sure, their friends are important to them, but the way you behave and fulfill your responsibilities will have a profound and long-lasting effect on your children.”

These are just a few steps parents need to take to protect their children against predators:

– Discussing the consequences of their actions can help teens link impulsive thinking with facts. This helps the brain make these connections and wires the brain to make this link more often.

– Remind your teens that they are resilient and competent. Because they are so focused in the moment, adolescents have trouble seeing they can play a part in changing bad situations. It can help to remind them of times in the past they thought would be devastating, but turned out for the best.

– Become familiar with things that are important to your teens. It does not mean you have to like hip-hop music, but showing an interest in the things they are involved in shows them they are important to you.

– Ask teens if they want you to respond when they come to you with problems, or if they just want you to listen.

“Parents tend to jump in with advice to try to fix their children’s problems or place blame,” the report states. “But this can make teens less likely to be open with their parents in the future. You want to make it emotionally safe and easy for them to come to you, so you can be part of their lives.”

The FBI also gives several tips and suggestions to parents to protect children from online predators.

“The most effective way to disrupt these criminals is through awareness, education, and having important discussions with your children about their online safety,” says Wayne Jacobs, special agent in charge of WFO’s Criminal/Cyber Division. “We recognize victims may feel embarrassed and thus hesitant to come forward and report these incidents, but we are strongly encouraging victims to notify us so that these individuals are held to account for their actions and, most importantly, prevented from harming another child.”

The FBI provides the following tips to the public:

– Be selective about what you share online, especially your personal information and passwords. If your social media accounts are open to everyone, a predator may be able to figure out a lot of information about you or your children.

– Be wary of anyone you encounter for the first time online. Block or ignore messages from strangers.

– Be aware that people can pretend to be anything or anyone online. Videos and photos are not proof that a person is who they claim to be.

– Be suspicious if you meet someone on a game or app and they ask you to start talking to them on a different platform.

– Encourage your children to report suspicious behavior to a trusted adult.

The FBI also suggests:

Tips on how to protect yourself:

– Never send compromising images of yourself to anyone, no matter who they are or who they say they are.

– Do not open attachments from people you do not know. Links can secretly hack your electronic devices using malware to gain access to your private data, photos, and contacts, or control your web camera and microphone without your knowledge.

– Turn off your electronic devices and web cameras when not in use.

If you are receiving sextortion threats:

– Remember you are not alone as thousands are victimized by this scam.

– Stop all interaction with the extortionist and do not be embarrassed or afraid to contact law enforcement.

– File a complaint with the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov.