Social media heavyweight Meta, the company that owns Facebook and Instagram, has taken strong action to stop its platform from being used in sextortion, a form of online blackmail that coerces victims to send sexually explicit videos or images of themselves.

Owned by Mark Zuckenberg, Meta said this move will help prevent the commission of crimes that continues to victimize social media users.


These efforts include stricter controls on who can follow or message teen accounts, as well as adding safety alerts in Instagram Direct Messages (DMs) and Facebook Messenger, warning teen users about suspicious conversations, especially those happening across different countries.

Additionally, Meta is imposing limitations that prevent perpetrators from taking screenshots in private messages and viewing a users' follower list and activity in the app.

Instagram’s “Teen Accounts” feature, which was introduced last month, is part of the ongoing effort to make the platform safer for younger users.

Meta is also introducing a nudity protection feature globally, which automatically blurs nude images and alerts teen users before they are able to send one.

Additionally, in the US and UK, an educational video will show up in Instagram users’ account that educates them on how to identify sextortion scams. These efforts aim to help teens recognize warning signs of coercion—such as people who act overly friendly, make immediate requests for photos, or attempt to move the conversation to another social app.

Sextortion has been a growing issue. Between 2021 and 2023, reports of this crime increased by over 300%, according to John Shehan of the US National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Between October 2021 to March 2023, at least 12,600 victims were identified. In 20 of these cases, the victim had committed suicide as a result of the trauma. These reports were identified by the US federal offices.

Meta’s decision to take action against this crime comes in response to pressure from multiple US states.

At least 40 US states have filed complaints against Meta, accusing them of harming young people's mental health by fostering environments that lead to cyberbullying, eating disorders, or social media addiction.

Despite these concerns, Meta has not yet implemented direct age verification for its users due to privacy concerns. Instead, they are advocating for laws that would require age verification at the smartphone level.