Edmonton police warn of sextortion cases involving teens

Edmonton police say sextortion crimes targeting teens are becoming more commonplace and the impact can be devastating. Jeremy Thompson reports.

Police are warning parents, caregivers and youth of a recent number of sextortion cases targeting teens in Edmonton.

Between 2018 and 2025, Edmonton police received 983 sextortion reports involving teens as young as 13 years old. In 2025 alone, police received 168 such reports.

Sextortion is when an offender coerces a victim into sending sexually explicit images or videos and threatens to release the content publicly or to family and friends unless money or more images are given.

“Kids are online more than ever, and predators know it,” said Insp. Paul Looker in a statement. “Sextortion has moved from being a rare online scam to something our school resource officers encounter regularly.”

Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) said it works closely with community partners and police to ensure support is available for students and families.

“Every student should feel a sense of belonging and safety within their school community,” said EPSB superintendent Ron Thompson. “We want students and families to know that support is available and no student has to face these challenges alone.”

Edmonton Catholic Schools says they emphasize digital citizenship – or the responsible and ethical use of technology – to help students and families navigate online spaces responsibly.

Police say most victims are between 13 and 16 years old, with 15 being the most common age. Of the victims, 68 per cent are girls, 31 per cent are boys and one per cent are unspecified.

Offenders are predominantly male, some as young as 16.

Const. Stephanie Bosch said organized crime groups are now getting involved in sextortion, and using fake profiles to coerce teens. Some offenders are also using artificial intelligence to exploit.

The constable said this type of crime has existed for quite some time, but it’s becoming more public because people are talking about it.

“Through that public discourse and through education and being proactive, we can decrease that victimization,” she said.

Bosch is a member of the Alberta Law Enforcement Response Team and investigates child internet exploitation. She also speaks with parents and kids about sextortion to empower them to speak openly about online activity.

“It’s normal practice now for kids to engage in consensual sexting or sharing of those images between each other, and there’s nothing inherently bad about that, it’s just something that’s really foreign to a lot of parents,” said Bosch. “A lot of these parents are just scared because they just don’t know.

“In doing this education, we shine a lot of light on what it’s like to be a kid in 2026 and we give them practical tools to have these conversations, things to look out for.”

Kirsten Sweet, the national program director of Unplugged Canada, says parents should consider delaying giving their kids smartphones on top of having healthy conversations with them.

“We need education, we need resources, we need child-friendly tech,” she said. “We need devices that are safe for kids.

Unplugged is a parent-led group that advocates for delaying smartphones and social media to kids.

“We’re not naive and thinking that just delaying a smartphone is going to solve this problem. We really need a multi-faceted approach.”

The group is pushing the federal government to legislate a social media age minimum while it develops the Online Harm Bill.

Parents and caregivers are encouraged to talk with their kids before reaching their teens about online safety and how to respond if someone asks for sexual images.

Warning signs could look like a child:

• suddenly being more secretive about their phone or screen time;
• withdrawing from friends or activities;
• having unexplained anxiety or mood swings;
• suddenly dropping in school performance;
• hiding their online interactions; and
• having heightened anxiety or unexplained urgency to meet someone.

Police encourage parents and caregivers to talk to their child regularly about online activities, build trust with their kids so they feel safe discussing problems, take interest in their online activities, and ask questions about their online friends.

Anyone who believes they or someone they know is being victimized is asked to contact police at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous tips can be submitted through Crime Stoppers.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson