Facts & Stats

The numbers are big. So is your power to stop it.

These numbers come from national research groups and government agencies. Each one links to its source. The point isn't to scare you. It's to show that these crimes are common, they're not your fault, and help is real.

📱Life online

U.S. teens ages 13–17, 2024

~1 in 2teens say they're online almost constantly.Pew Research Center, 2024

9 in 10teens use YouTube. About 6 in 10 use TikTok and Instagram, and 55% use Snapchat.Pew Research Center, 2024

What it means: being online is a normal part of life. That's exactly why knowing the warning signs matters. Predators and scammers go where young people are.

💬Bullying & harassment

46%of U.S. teens (13–17) have experienced at least one type of cyberbullying. Name-calling was the most common.Pew Research Center, 2022

16%of U.S. high school students were bullied electronically in the past year (2023).CDC Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 2023

3 in 4young people ages 10–17 experienced harassment in online multiplayer games in 2023, up from 67% the year before.ADL, 2023

What it means: if you're being bullied or harassed, you are far from alone, and it's never okay. Save it, block it, report it, and tell an adult. Practice: Group Chat Pile-On →

🚩Predators & sextortion

1.4 millionreports of online enticement (adults contacting kids for sexual reasons) went to NCMEC in 2025, including more than 800 where the offender traveled to meet a child.NCMEC, 2026

137 a dayreports of financial sextortion reached NCMEC in 2025, more than 50,000 in total, up from about 36,000 in 2024.NCMEC, 2026

12,600+minors, mostly boys aged 14–17, were victims of financial sextortion reported to the FBI and HSI from Oct. 2021 to Mar. 2023.FBI, 2024

1 in 5preteens (ages 9–12) reported an online sexual interaction with someone they believed was an adult.Thorn, 2024

1 in 17minors (ages 9–17) said they had personally experienced sextortion.Thorn, 2024

What it means: sextortion and online enticement are among the fastest-growing crimes against young people. NCMEC notes part of the increase is because a 2024 law (the REPORT Act) required apps to report more, and more people know where to report. Practice: The New Follower →

📸Photos & AI

1 in 7minors say they've ever shared a nude image of themselves. Most young people never have.Thorn, 2024

1 in 4minors think it's normal for people their age to share nudes, even though most don't.Thorn, 2024

~1 in 10minors know of classmates or peers who used AI to make nude images of other kids.Thorn, 2024

67,000reports involving generative AI reached NCMEC in 2024, a 1,325% jump from 2023.NCMEC, 2025

What it means: "everyone does it" isn't true, and AI fakes cause real harm. If an image of you is out there, Take It Down can help. Practice: It's Fake, It's Still Real →

🗣️Speaking up

1 in 6minors who had an online sexual interaction didn't tell anyone.Thorn, 2024

What it means: silence is what offenders count on. Telling a trusted adult is how it stops, and how offenders get caught. Practice: Speak Up →

⚖️The law

48 hoursUnder the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act (signed May 2025), apps and websites must remove intimate images shared without consent, including AI fakes, within 48 hours of a valid request. Publishing them is a federal crime.U.S. Congress, 2025

20 yearsin federal prison: the sentence for the man whose fake 911 call over an online game led to a fatal police shooting in 2017.NBC News, 2019