Australia flags platform gaps as sextortion complaints surge
TL;DR
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.
Topics:technology#child-exploitation#live-streaming#online-safety#platform-detection#sextortion#technology
- Young men report more ‘sextortion’ than any other age group, Australia’s online safety watchdog says The Guardian
- Social media giants failing to stop sexual extortion of vulnerable kids NT News
- Big Tech ‘failing on sex extortion’ The Australian
- Instagram and WhatsApp lead in sextortion reports, iMessage is weaponized against teenagers: Report Digital Trends
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Read on The Guardian