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Tell your kids they will never be in trouble for telling you
Why it matters: Sextortion and grooming depend on shame and secrecy. A child who knows a parent will help rather than punish is the strongest protection there is.
On your path if you picked “Kids under 13” or “Teenagers” for “Who's at home?”.
Do it
- Say it plainly: 'If anyone online asks you for photos, money or to keep a secret, tell me. You won't be in trouble.'
- Explain that people online aren't always who they say, and that AI can fake photos and voices, including fake nude images made from ordinary photos.
- Agree what happens if it does: don't pay, don't keep talking, don't delete anything, tell a trusted adult.
- Know where to report: the platform, the NCMEC CyberTipline, and NCMEC's Take It Down service for removing images of minors.
- Repeat the conversation as they get new apps or devices.
Check it worked: Your kids know that any message asking for secrecy, photos, money, gift cards or game currency is a reason to come to you, and they know what you'll do: help, not punish.
Simply put
It's like telling your kids they can always call for a ride home, no questions that night. Scams aimed at kids need secrecy and shame; a promise of help instead of punishment takes both away.
In detail
Financially motivated sextortion often targets teen boys and moves very fast, so the plan has to exist before it's needed. The federal TAKE IT DOWN Act now requires covered platforms to remove non-consensual intimate images, including AI-made ones, after a valid request.
As a story
After dinner, your son hovers by the kitchen counter, phone in hand. Someone he met in a game has been asking for photos, and now they want gift cards to keep things quiet.
He remembers what you told him: he won't be in trouble for telling you. You thank him, and you mean it. Together you stop replying, don't pay and don't delete anything. You save the messages, report the account in the game and report it to NCMEC's CyberTipline, using its Take It Down service if any images were shared.
He goes to bed lighter than he's felt all week. You both know the plan works, because he just used it.
If this is new to you: Not sure what to say? Use one sentence: 'If anyone online asks for photos, money or secrets, tell me. You won't be in trouble.' That's the start.
Points toward the Long View: kids who come to you first, whatever an AI can fake.