Online predators are becoming bolder in the methods they use to entice young people to release sexually explicit images of themselves.
The practice, known as sextorting, is a form of blackmail in which predators convince a young person to do something of a sexual nature by using information or images of them.
Head of Netsafe, Martin Cocker, says the contact on social websites like Ask FM, Instagram and Facebook, starts innocently enough before escalating to explicit pictures.
When the young person objects, they are blackmailed with the release of the previously shared pictures.
Mr Cocker says in the past, predators created personas as young people, but increasingly they are fronting as adults.
Netsafe dealt with up to thirty cases of sextorting last year and estimates police saw a similar number.
He says how a young person reacts when the image is made public depends on the reactions of those around them.
Mr Cocker says if family and friends react well, stay calm and don't overplay the damage it will have on a person's life, the impact can be quite minimal.
But for others it can have a negative impact on their education, relationships and self-esteem.
