The Problem Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence
Technology-facilitated gender-based violence is on the rise for teens. A 2022 Pew Research survey showed that 95% of teenagers are using social media, and 46% of teenagers say they are on the internet almost constantly. As technology advances in the areas of artificial intelligence (AI) and fake images (deepfakes), the risk to teens increases.
The FBI has reported a troubling rise in a type of technology-facilitated gender-based violence targeted at teen boys, known as sextortion. Perpetrators online pose as peers or romantic interests to convince them to send intimate images. After they successfully trick the teens, they use these intimate images (or targeted deepfakes) to blackmail them into sending them money with the threat of these images being sent to their friends and family. Perpetrators of this type of sextortion most commonly target minors because of the long periods of time they spend online and because minors are susceptible to grooming and manipulation by adults.
Data collected by the FBI shows a 1,000% increase in incidents of financial sextortion reported in just the first six months of 2022. In December 2022, the FBI issued a national public safety alert on financial sextortion schemes, citing over 7,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors, of which 3,000 victims were as young as eight years old and were primarily boys, and more than a dozen suicides. The FBI noted that in particular, “[they have] seen a horrific increase in the reports of financial sextortion schemes targeting minor boys”.
What can we do? Power Down Speak Up
To combat this growing and evolving problem, Governor Hochul introduced the Safeguard Teens from Online Sexual Exploitation Initiative in the 2024 State of the State Proposal. Through this action, the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence (OPDV) has been working to spread awareness on this issue and educate the public on how to prevent and respond to this type of abuse and launched its "Power Down Speak Up" campaign.
Riley's Story Riley Basford | June 2, 2005 - March 30, 2021
Riley Basford loved the outdoors, especially hunting and fishing. He played lacrosse and football and bought his own snowmobile after getting his first job. His goal was to become a New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Police Officer, just like his uncle. Riley was a sophomore at Potsdam High School with a bright future ahead of him when everything changed in an instant.
March 30, 2021, started like any regular day for fifteen-year-old Riley. In the morning, he fed his family’s cows and spent some time with relatives. Then his mother drove Riley and his sisters to the orthodontist, where they all had braces put on. A photo of Riley smiling with the new hardware was taken shortly after. Just a few hours later, Riley took his own life after being blackmailed by a fake online account.
Riley was a victim of sextortion, a non-physical form of coercion where a perpetrator threatens to send out someone's private or sensitive materials or intimate pictures if they do not provide them with more sexual images, sexual favors, or money.
In Riley’s case, Riley’s mother says the sextortion happened quickly. The perpetrator, posing as a teenage girl, sent Riley a friend request on social media right around the time Riley was at the orthodontist. Riley accepted the request, and the perpetrator engaged him in casual conversation, gaining his trust. The fake account sent Riley a photo of a topless woman, then convinced Riley to send intimate pictures of himself. That’s when the sextortion started.
The fake account began threatening Riley, demanding he pay $3,500 or they would share the intimate pictures he sent with people he knew. The barrage of threats sent Riley into a spiral. Feeling alone, embarrassed, and hopeless, Riley tragically took his own life.
“He made a permanent decision for a temporary problem,” said Mary Rodee, Riley’s mother.
Sadly, Riley’s story is one of many. In the United States, 5% of middle and high school students report being victims of sextortion. A 2022 report released by the FBI noted 7,000 reports of sextortion of minors, of which 3,000 victims were as young as eight years old. The victims were primarily boys, resulting in more than a dozen suicides.
Since Riley’s death, his mother has made it her mission to raise awareness about sextortion and other dangers lurking online. She hopes that sharing Riley’s story will empower other teens to Power Down the threat and Speak Up for themselves.
“I always said to Riley, don’t do this, don’t do this, don’t do this. But I wish I had said, but if you do, I’ll always be here to help you. Everybody makes mistakes. Nothing is the end of the world,” said Mary.
Watch Riley's story here:
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For all resources and information on technology-facilitated gender-based violence, visit our TFGBV Webpage.