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Narrator: We’re living in a digital age in which online threats pose real-world risks to teens.

The same social media, gaming, and other online platforms these young people flock to in search of community can also unwittingly connect them with criminals.

As Special Agent Kathleen Callaway, who investigates crimes against children in the FBI’s Washington Field Office, explains:

Callaway: There’s a plethora of threats online. Back before we had phones in our pockets, predators had to work a little harder to get in front of children. Now, with phones, it’s always right there in your pocket.

Narrator: Likewise, images that teens share “privately” in a digital message can go just as viral as their favorite internet memes.

Because of this, the FBI wants to educate teens on the threats hiding on the internet.

Narrator: On this episode of our show, we’ll share information about the online threats facing today’s teens—from sextortion and grooming to violent online networks and bad actors who can use digital clues to track them down in real life.

While this episode is geared towards teens and the threats they face, we encourage parents, guardians, and anyone else who is a trusted adult in a child’s life to listen to this episode and share it with friends and family.

This is Inside the FBI.

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Narrator: The first kind of threat that all teens should know about is sextortion, which Callaway says is...

Callaway: ... someone extorting you for sexual images, videos, or favors.

Extorting means that someone is forcing you to do it or they will do something bad. For example, “If you don't send me a photo of you naked in front of the mirror, I'm going to tell all your friends that you already sent me the images.”

Narrator: She says there are two types of sextortion predators. The first kind wants to get money from their victims however they can—whether that’s crypto, gift cards, or a money transfer app. The second type of sextortion predator seeks gratification through the child sexual abuse material imagery they solicit from their victims.

These predators are increasingly targeting teen boys, since they tend to be more open than teen girls are to sending explicit photos to predators who ask for them.

And now, some sextortion even involves criminals using artificial intelligence to add a victim’s likeness into child sexual abuse material that doesn’t actually depict them.

Callaway: There are a lot of things that people can do where maybe you didn't actually send an image, but they've cropped your face on a different person's body and say, “Hey, if you don't send me $500, I'm going to send this to your friend group.” So we have those kind of threats.

Narrator: You can visit fbi.gov/sextortion to access additional information and resources about this risk and to learn how to report sextortion to the FBI.

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Narrator: Another online risk is child sexual exploitation in the form of child sexual abuse material—photos or video depicting the sexual exploitation of minors. In these cases, teens and kids might be unwillingly exposed to child sexual abuse material or may be coerced into producing it themselves.

The FBI investigates child sexual exploitation as part of its commitment to crushing violent crime.

You can visit fbi.gov/vcac to learn how we work to protect kids and teens from this and other kinds of violent crime. You’ll also find resources you can use to protect yourself or the teens in your life and to help them cope following any inadvertent exposure to child sexual abuse material.

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Narrator: A third risk that lurks online is grooming. This happens when a predator builds rapport with a victim and slowly trains them to engage in behaviors outside of their comfort zone. While grooming can happen to anyone of any age, it’s particularly dangerous for kids and teens.

You can revisit our episode on this topic to hear an in-depth discussion of this threat and learn how you can steer clear of these predators. Adults can also tune to learn how they can be a trusted adult that young victims can reach out to if they’re ever victimized.

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Narrator: A fourth risk that teens need to be wary of on the web is the threat of violent online networks.

These criminal groups target vulnerable young people, build a relationship with them, and then harass them in hopes that they’ll engage in self-harm, sexually explicit acts, animal cruelty, or even suicide. They also frequently share footage of victims engaging in these violent behaviors to keep the insidious cycle going.

You can listen to our December 2025 episode about violent online networks to learn more about this threat and learn how to report this kind of activity to the FBI.

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Narrator: Regardless of which threat we’re talking about, it’s critical to remember that anyone can be an online predator. They can be of any age, sex, or citizenship.

According to Brooke Schetgen, an FBI employee assistance counselor who supports crimes against children investigators, a...

Schetgen: ...subject of one of our investigations or a predator could really be anyone from anywhere.

Narrator: And, Callaway adds:

Callaway: Victims can be of any age. We have adult victims. We have minor victims. So, when a child comes to you and tells you that they have been a victim of this, give them a break, because we routinely see adults doing the same exact thing and being victims themselves.

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Narrator: You’ve probably heard the old adage that the best offense is a good defense.

But this doesn’t just apply to sports.

Being aware of your digital footprint—or all the personally identifiable information and other sensitive details about you that exists in some way, shape, or form online—is critical to staying safe offline, too.

Callaway: Keeping personal information minimal on the internet allows you to protect yourself and lower your vulnerabilities out there.

A predator can’t go on to your social media platform and know already what school you go to, how old you are, what grade, because then they could use that information against you. Someone can say, “Hey, you and I both go to the same school, or we both travel for the same soccer team,” or whatever it is, and then gain your trust. And it's misplaced trust.

Narrator: Certain kinds of images and information should never be shared online—or elsewhere.

Brooke: Teens should never share—adults also should never share—anything that one would cover with a swimsuit, is a good general rule.

Definitely pay attention even where you're taking photos, because you may not realize there's a street sign in the back, or your home address is in the back, the numbers of your house are visible, and things like that.

Narrator: You also shouldn’t publicize where you go to school.

Schetgen: So, any sort of personal information that someone could use to then blackmail you or manipulate you in some way—but definitely nothing that is very, very personal that someone could use against you.

Narrator: But the information in a photo isn’t the only thing that can put you at risk. The information attached to the digital file itself—known as metadata—can also reveal your personal information.

Callaway: When you share an image or video or file to someone, there's metadata written into that. Metadata is the information such as what device did you use to take that image, the actual geolocation—so, your GPS coordinates—could be embedded into that image. So, when you send it to someone, they can clearly see that the image was taken with this device on this date, last modified this time, and was taken in this exact GPS location. So, be careful what images and videos you're sharing.

Also, be careful with your social media applications. A lot of times, it is automatically set to share your location. Make sure you go into those privacy settings, set everything as private, and make sure that your geolocation is turned off on all of your social media applications.

Narrator: But when it comes to sending suggestive images, the no-share rule should also apply to anyone teens might be romantically involved with, too. As Martha Finnegan, a retired FBI child-adolescent forensic interviewer, explains...

Finnegan: I think what's hard is that for a lot of teenagers today, they feel that sending images back-and-forth to someone that they're dating, that they know, that there's nothing wrong with that, that nothing's going to happen because they feel that they're in love with this person, and that nothing bad can ever come from it in the future. They don't think that person is ever going to betray them.

Narrator: But, she says, those images can end up in the hands of that partner’s friends, posted to the web, or in the hands of adult predators.

Finnegan: You just don't know. Once you send that image to anyone, you just don't know where it's going to end up.

Narrator: The best way to stay safe? Don't overshare to begin with, since the internet is—mostly—forever.

Callaway: So once your information is out there, it's much harder to remove it than it is to just keep it off from the beginning. So, if your social media platforms are already public, make sure that you turn everything private.

If you have already distributed material that constitutes child sexual abuse material and you find it online, go to NCMEC—

Narrator: —that’s the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children—

Callaway: —and they'll help you remove those images. If there's anything that you think that you have overshared, try and scrub it from everywhere that you can think of, but just know that it is much harder to remove the information once it's already out there.

Schetgen: It's much easier to be very conscientious of what you put out there than it is to try to get it back. So, being very thoughtful about, “What am I posting and why? Also, who does it impact besides me? Is there a friend in the photo, is there a loved one in the photo that maybe has a very different feeling about their digital footprint?”

So, I would say that teens can exist safely on the web if they make good decisions [and] they're honest with their trusted adult.

Narrator: Long story short, she says? Trust your gut, stop any online conversation that feels odd in its tracks, and always be mindful of what you’re putting on the web and why before you hit post.

Next, keep your cyber circle secure. When using social or gaming platforms, don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know.

Callaway: Anyone who has any social media presence online: Make sure that you're vetting your friends. I know that you all want to get the likes. You all want the numbers. You all want the highest friends and hearts and everything. But make sure if someone requests to be your friend, that you vet them by something other than just looking at their profile.

Ask a friend, “Hey, do you know who this person is?” Ask your trusted adult—things like that. Because a lot of predators will just blast multiple people and see who accepts their friend request.

Narrator: Finally, if you’re a parent or trusted adult, you should do your best to model good cybersecurity and cyber hygiene practices for the young people in your life.

Finnegan: As parents, our kids are watching us. So, whatever we're posting, or if we're spending hours and hours a day glued to our phone, we're role models for our kids. Our kids are watching that—whether they're little ones, whether they're teenagers. When I talk to kids, they might say, “Well, my mom does that or my dad does that, so why can't I?”

We need to be careful that we're watching our behavior when it comes to the internet and what we're doing online, too, so that we can become good role models for what our teens are also doing.

Narrator: Parents also need to set important boundaries around technology.

Callaway: So a couple of tips and tricks that I tell parents to do in order to help prevent their child from being a victim:

Make sure that you know the password to your child's phone. I know that there is privacy. You want your child to have an expectation of privacy, but just know that at the end of the day, you are accountable for the phone. You are the adult, so you need to make sure that you know what the privacy settings are, the passwords, things like that.
Make sure that you have a rule—and maybe you do this rule for yourself, as well—but no phones in the bathroom or bedroom because that's generally where we see these photographs being taken. So, make sure phones are only in the common areas: living rooms, things like that.
Brooke: Also, I would say as a parent or a trusted adult who is checking a child's phone, please be aware it's going to feel weird, and that's okay. It's supposed to because you're protecting your kid. Yes, you want them to have privacy. At the same time, you are the protector of the child.

I think that's where the open communication comes in, because again, you cannot be with your child all the time. You can't supervise them—especially as they get into teen years—every single minute. And so, setting those ground rules early, having that open communication early, and talking about it will decrease the chances that that's something they're going to do when they are not with you.

Callaway: Just starting it—that is the hardest step, but the most important.

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Narrator: In all the instances we’ve talked about—sextortion, child sexual abuse material, AI-generated images—it’s crucial to remember that the kids and teens impacted by these threats are victims. They’re not to blame. But most importantly, they can get through this.

You should report any known or suspected child abuse or exploitation to the Bureau immediately by dialing 1-800-CALL-FBI—that’s 1-800-225-5324. You can also visit tips.fbi.gov to submit an online tip.

The FBI’s partners at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children have also launched a service called “Take It Down,” which helps remove child sexual abuse material that depicts victims under the age of 18 from the internet. Learn more at takeitdown.ncmec.org.

You can visit fbi.gov/protectingkids to access more advice and information to help protect children from the dangers lurking in both the online and offline worlds. Likewise, you can check out fbi.gov/onlinesafety for practical guidance about staying safe on the web.

Next, you can visit fbi.gov/victims to learn how the Bureau’s Victim Services Division informs, supports, and assists victims of all ages in navigating the aftermath of federal crime and the criminal justice process with dignity and resilience.

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Narrator: This has been another production of Inside the FBI.

You can follow us on your favorite podcast player, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube. You can also listen to our show via the myFBI Dashboard app. Learn more at fbi.gov/dashboardapp.

And to subscribe to email alerts to learn more about new episodes, visit fbi.gov/podcasts.

On behalf of the FBI's Office of Public Affairs, thanks for tuning in.

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