Instagram to crack down on teen sextortion [Video]

Instagram is aiming to make it harder for potential scammers and criminals to coerce teens into sending nude photos and extorting them for money.

The company announced on Thursday it is testing new features to curb an alarming trend called financial sextortion, which often targets kids and teenagers. Once the nude images are sent, the scammers claim they’ll post them online, either on public websites or on newsfeeds where their friends will see, unless the victims send money or gift cards.

In the upcoming weeks and among a subset of users, Instagram said it will roll out various new features, such as blurring nude images sent in direct messages and informing users when they’ve interacted with someone who engaged in financial sextortion. The tools will come to all users worldwide soon after.

“It is a really horrific crime that preys on making people feel alone and ashamed,” Antigone Davis, Meta’s …