The next few years could see the online world transform dramatically for young people. Changes are already trickling through. Smartphones have now been banned in schools in England, while the UK government is considering how it will implement next year’s social media ban for under-16s. Meanwhile, the Crime and Policing Bill 2025 aims to ultimately make ‘nudification’ tools – which can digitally undress people using artificial intelligence (AI) – illegal. ‘Cyber cop’ Susan McLean is one of the experts who is watching the UK’s movements in this space with great interest. A former Victoria police officer of 27 years, who now advises governments, schools and families on online child safety, she knows her stuff about modern technology and the impact it can have on kids today. (Through her work in schools alone, she speaks to roughly 250,000 children about the topic every year.) In an interview with HuffPost UK to mark her new book, Growing Up Digital, which landed in UK bookstores this month, McLean shared one of her biggest areas of concern as far as children and tech are concerned: the rise in ‘sextortion’ (or sexual extortion) cases among boys. Earlier this year, the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) warned child sextortion cases in the UK have soared by 72% in the space of a year. Criminals are tricking young people into sending nude or sexual images of themselves which are then used to blackmail them. In 97% of cases, the victims are boys. “Probably the biggest risk to an adolescent male is sextortion and sexual blackmail – that is hideous,” said McLean, who described how organised criminal gangs sit in call centres, work a script, “and are very good at what they do”. Sextortion largely impacts boys, according to statistics. The online safety specialist recalled being on holiday in Europe a couple of weeks ago and seeing her phone screen flash up – an unknown Australian number was calling. “I answered it and it was a 17-year-old boy in tears,” she said. “I’d spoken at his school, and he was now being sextorted online. He remembered my talk and he remembered I said I would be helpful if he needed me – and he decided to ring me.” The expert noted she asked him to include another adult in their discussion while she advised on what to do next. “That’s the thing,” she continued, discussing how the boy called her instead of someone close to him, “we know there’s underreporting of this crime, there’s shame attached to it, most kids will pay two amounts of money before they tell an adult and certainly we know that young men have taken their own lives.” The mental health repercussions attached to this crime can be great. Studies have flagged a “statistically significant relationship” between experience with sextortion and suicidality. McLean described how someone diagnosed with poor mental health might see a progression over a period of time, which would ultimately lead to them seeking help. But with sextortion, “what I’ve seen far too often, is that they have gone from a 100% mentally well young person into someone in psychological crisis in a matter of hours”. She continued: “They will have been told [by criminals] that their life is over, they will have been told that they’ll never recover from this, they will have been told that they will be ruined – and, in the moment, kids believe that.” Advice for parents when it comes to sextortion McLean is keen for parents to educate themselves on the current technology kids are using, so they can then educate their kids about it. She also highlights the importance of keeping the channels of communication open as soon as children are using devices. “I always say: talk early, talk often. The minute your child has a device, you need a conversation,” she advised. These conversations should always be age-appropriate, of course. You’re not going to talk to a four-year-old about sextortion. But you could start by having conversations around taking photos. If your child wants to send a photo to Grandma, for instance, you can discuss why they should always take a photo with their clothes on. And why it’s important to ask a parent first, before sending a photo to someone on a phone or computer – and why we only ever send photos to trusted grown-ups. As children reach their tweens, the expert suggested the key message should be along the lines of: “Nothing is so bad that you can’t come and tell me about it. I don’t care what you’ve done, I don’t care what has happened ... If something is bothering you, worrying you, you’re being threatened online, you’ve seen something that is not right, please come and tell me about it and we’ll work it through together.” She added: “We know that a parent’s first response when they’re told something will often dictate to that young person whether they’re going to disclose more.” Her sentiment echoes that of Australian coroner Audrey Jamieson who, back in 2022, said a shift in the way young people are taught about online safety could prevent suicide among sextortion victims. Following the suicide of Rohan Cosgriff, who was 17 and had been the victim of a sextortion scam, she said: “The fact remains that with all the education in the world, and no matter how many times the message ‘don’t send intimate images’ is repeated, young people will continue to do these things. “The conversation must turn to: should you find yourself in this situation, it is going to be OK.” McLean suggested that parents might be distressed, upset or even angry by what their tween or teen tells them – however these emotions need to be kept under wraps. Her advice is to “remain calm, and say: ‘OK, tell me what’s happened and let’s work through it.’ All of these things can be worked through and your child will be OK”. If your child is a victim of sextortion – whether it’s because they sent a nude photo or criminals manipulated their image or video using AI – the Internet Watch Foundation (IWF) urges parents not to blame their child, and not to pay or engage further with those who are asking for money. “Don’t delete the images, videos or messages if you still have them,” said the IWF. “Contact the police. You can make a report online here. It’s important that law enforcement is aware of what’s happening.” Images, videos or links can also be reported using the Report Remove tool. The IWF can then see if they can get it taken down. Regardless of whether you’re parenting boys, girls, primary-school aged kids or older teens, McLean urges parents to be “an active participant” in their child’s online world. You’d walk the dog with them, or take them to sport, she notes, so she advises having that same active participation when children are online. “You need to play games with them, you need to be aware of what they’re doing, who they’re doing it with,” said McLean. “[Parents] should regularly check their devices – what apps and platforms are they using it? Who are they talking to?” She ended: “It’s not invading their privacy, it’s parenting.” Related... Sextortion Is The Terrifying New Dating App Scam On The Rise I’m A Child Psychiatrist—This Is The Mistake Most Parents Make When Talking To Teens The 5 Things Therapists Say Harm Teens' Happiness The Most