November 25, 2025

Loss. How do we respond to loss? How do we cope? I just read about a teen, a young man, who reportedly committed suicide after becoming a victim of “sextortion.”

Sextortion, as you may know, is a type of blackmail, using compromising photos of a person to threaten, demand money, or harm their reputation.

Many young people have been lured into sending revealing pictures of themselves. And when someone shares those pictures with other people–or threatens to share them–it’s a crisis.

What has been lost? Privacy, a sense of safety, trust in whoever they sent the photos to. There might be fear of losing respect. And embarrassment is a painful sting.

But loss does not have to lead to greater loss. It will take some time, lots of courage, forgiving oneself, and realizing that they are not alone. Help is available. Learn more at:

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children

https://www.ncmec.org/theissues/sextortion

Don’t let a mistake lead to more loss. Your future–yes, your future–is worth saving.