Help is available for children tricked into sending intimate images, but regular conversations about internet safety are ‘part of parenting now’

• Children as young as 11 targeted by sextortion criminals, data reveals

It was after midnight last November when Simon’s son burst into his parents’ bedroom and told them “something terrible’s happened”. Sixteen-year-old Nathan had been targeted by online criminals in a sextortion scam.

“We’ve had lots of conversations about this stuff with him over the years, but don’t think that your child is too sensible to do this,” said Simon.