Sextortion: Findings from a survey of 1,631 victims
Date
2016
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Crimes Against Children Research Center
Abstract
Sextortion is defined as threats to expose a sexual image in order to make a person do something or for
other reasons, such as revenge or humiliation. Persons who completed the online survey are referred to
as “respondents” and those who threatened them as “perpetrators.”
The respondents in our sample were primarily female (83%) and teenagers (ages 18 and 19); about 40%
were in their early 20s.
The sextortion episodes they reported were diverse, but incidents broadly fell into two groups:
a) In the wake of face-to-face romantic or sexual relationships during which sexual images
were taken or shared, an aggrieved partner threatened to disseminate images either to
force reconciliation or to embarrass or humiliate the respondent.
b) A perpetrator who met a respondent online used a sexual image obtained from the
respondent or some other source to demand more images or sexual interactions.
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Keywords
internet victimization, sextortion, survey, research, social media
Citation
Wolak, J., & Finkelhor, D. (2016). Sextortion: Findings from a survey of 1,631 victims.Durham, NH: Crimes Against Children Research Center.