By Sam, SYTECH Account Manager
As online threats grow more complex, digital forensics plays an increasingly vital role in child protection, school safeguarding, and wider efforts to protect adults at risk. One particularly disturbing trend is the rise in sextortion; a form of online blackmail where offenders threaten to share explicit images and videos of victims unless they pay money or provide further content. With children, young people, and those with learning disabilities among the most vulnerable, the need for robust, collaborative responses has never been more urgent.
Digital forensics investigations have become a cornerstone of this response. By uncovering, analysing, and preserving digital evidence, specialists can trace offenders, support prosecutions, and, crucially, help protect those at risk of abuse. This blog explores how computer forensics and mobile phone analysis support safeguarding efforts, and why a multi-agency approach is key to tackling these challenges.
Sextortion typically begins when an offender convinces a young person to share an intimate photo or video, often under false pretences. Once they have the content, they use it to threaten to share it with family members, friends, or online contacts unless the victim pays money or sends more material.
This type of abuse preys on shame, fear, and confusion. For children and young people, the emotional impact can be severe, ranging from anxiety and social withdrawal to self-harm or suicidal thoughts. Those with learning disabilities or limited digital literacy may be at even greater risk.
Unfortunately, victims often don’t report incidents immediately. This delay increases their exposure to harm and can allow offenders to target others. Schools, parents, and local authorities must work together to create environments where young people feel safe reporting concerns.
When a sextortion case is reported, digital forensics investigations help uncover what happened, identify those responsible, and gather digital evidence that can withstand scrutiny in court. Specialists use a range of tools and techniques to extract and analyse data from devices such as laptops, mobile phones, and tablets.
This includes:
In the context of child protection, this work is vital. It can corroborate a child’s account of events, support incident response, and help build a clear timeline of what occurred. It also strengthens the hand of law enforcement and safeguarding professionals when making decisions about intervention.
Safeguarding children is rarely the responsibility of a single organisation. A successful response requires input from schools, local authorities, police, healthcare providers, and other safeguarding partners. This multi-agency collaboration is essential for assessing the risk of abuse, providing the right support, and ensuring that any evidence gathered is handled appropriately.
Digital forensics teams are often embedded within or work closely alongside these agencies. Their work is used to:
This joined-up approach ensures that forensic findings are not used in isolation but form part of a wider safeguarding picture. It also allows professionals to act swiftly when children and young people are at risk, reducing harm and improving outcomes.
Schools have a central role to play in recognising and responding to sextortion and related online harms. Teachers and pastoral staff are often the first adults a young person confides in, so building staff awareness is key.
Digital forensic insights can help schools:
In some cases, digital specialists may be brought in to assess school-owned devices or support investigations following serious safeguarding concerns. They can help ensure any digital evidence is preserved correctly and used in line with legal and ethical standards.
Education is also crucial. Young people must be equipped with the knowledge and confidence to stay safe online, including:
By integrating online safety into broader safeguarding strategies, schools can reduce the likelihood of students being targeted and improve early intervention.
While computer forensics and mobile phone analysis are powerful tools, there are important considerations:
Sextortion and online sexual exploitation present serious risks to children and young people, especially those with learning disabilities or limited access to support. But they are not challenges we face alone.
Through robust digital forensics investigations, multi-agency collaboration, and proactive safeguarding in schools, we can disrupt offenders, support victims, and gather the digital evidence needed to secure justice. Whether it’s a school safeguarding lead recognising signs of distress, a local authority coordinating a protection plan, or a forensic analyst recovering key messages from a mobile phone, each role matters.
Together, we can build safer digital spaces and ensure that those most vulnerable to abuse or neglect are not only protected, but empowered.
