Resource to help youths combat sextortion crime

Provides flexible and impactful way to raise awareness

- IAN BUNTING

An education resource aimed at helping Lanarkshire youngsters better understand, recognise and respond to sextortion has been launched.

Fearless, the youth service of Crimestoppers, is marking a key milestone in its widely-praised sextortion awareness campaign, which ran in two phases from November to December 2024 and February to March 2025.

Co-produced with young people and supported by the Scottish Government and Police Scotland, the initiative achieved significant engagement across digital platforms.

The charity's campaign impact report revealed that the social media campaign generated more than 15 million impressions and over 98,000 swipes to the Fearless website, where tailored information and resources were available for young people, parents and caregivers, and professionals.

This success is believed to be a key factor in the 32.2 per cent decrease in reports of sextortion in 2024 compared to 2023, seen by Police Scotland.

The reduction is also attributed to the dedicated efforts of school engagement officers delivering sextortion presentations in schools all over Scotland.