Films on Sextortion & AI-Facilitated Abuse for Aussie Teens

Australia - The Daniel Morcombe Foundation (DMF) has launched two new online safety resources targeting sextortion and Artificial Intelligence (AI) facilitated image-based abuse, including deepfakes, aimed at Australian students between 7 and 9.

The short educational films and accompanying guides were released to align with Safer Internet Day on February 10, 2026.

They outline how such abuse occurs, its potential impacts and pathways to support, while emphasizing that victims are never at fault.

The materials are structured around the foundation's core safety framework: Recognise, React, and Report.

They aim to help young people identify image-based abuse, respond with confidence and self-compassion and report incidents to access help.

The initiative responds to rising evidence of these harms among Australian teenagers.

National research shows one in ten young people experience sextortion, and reports of AI-facilitated image-based abuse have doubled, with women and girls disproportionately affected.

“Sextortion and image-based abuse often follow a recognisable pattern,” said Professor Nicola Henry, Professor of Criminology at RMIT University and a leading expert on image-based abuse.

“First, they make you feel special - like you can trust them. Then they make you feel like you don’t want to tell anyone about them.

"The conversations often become sexual or deeply personal very quickly. Then things change - fast,” she said.

The resources were co-developed with input from young people, educators, subject-matter experts and national partners including the e-Safety Commissioner, the Australian Centre to Counter Child Exploitation (ACCCE), Kids Helpline, Bravehearts and the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN). 

Consultations with young people and victim-survivors shaped the scripting and production to ensure the content is respectful, realistic and addresses barriers to seeking help.

Designed for classroom use, the films come with practical tools for educators.

Separate companion guides are available for teachers, parents and caregivers and young people to extend discussions beyond school settings and foster collaborative responses within families and schools.

The foundation noted that recent changes to social media access for young people do not eliminate risks, as image-based abuse and sextortion can occur on gaming platforms, messaging apps, group chats, file-sharing services and AI image generators.

By emphasizing behaviors, power dynamics and help-seeking, the Foundation says the resources aim to build enduring skills amid evolving technologies.

“These films aren’t just educational tools; they’re invitations to reflect, to question, and to reclaim autonomy and power,” said a DMF Young Advisor.

The institution said new resources, including the short films and supporting guides, are now accessible via the Daniel Morcombe Foundation’s Adolescent Hub.