Australia flags platform gaps as sextortion complaints surge

Australia’s eSafety regulator reports more than 2,000 complaints of sexual extortion (July–Dec 2025) and finds major platforms struggle to detect and prevent online exploitation, with 18–24-year-old men reporting most cases and teens increasingly targeted. Instagram and WhatsApp are most cited, while iMessage and Snapchat link to under-18 threats; gaps in live-streaming safeguards and proactive detection persist, prompting calls for stronger, design-integrated protections.