Sexting between consenting adults is common. The risks come from three places: sharing with the wrong person, sharing something that identifies you, and scammers who use images to blackmail people. A few rules cover most of it.
1. Consent comes first, every time
Only sext with adults who have clearly said yes, and ask before sending anything. Consent to chat is not consent to receive images. Never forward or share what someone sent you: in many countries that is a criminal offence.
2. Keep your identity out of the picture
- Leave your face, tattoos, birthmarks and recognisable rooms out of images.
- Don’t reveal your full name, workplace, city or the usernames you use elsewhere.
- Turn off location data on your camera and check that photos don’t contain it.
- Use an email address and username that aren’t linked to the rest of your life.
3. Choose the platform carefully
Dedicated adult platforms with age verification, moderation and a report button are safer than meeting strangers on general social apps. Compare privacy features, billing names and data deletion in our sexting sites comparison.
4. Recognise sextortion
Sextortion is blackmail: someone obtains intimate images or claims to have them, then demands money. Warning signs:
- A new contact moves the chat to another app very quickly.
- They send images first to encourage you to do the same.
- They ask where you work or for your social media accounts.
- An email claims to have “recorded you” through your webcam. This is a mass scam; it’s almost always a bluff.
5. If someone threatens you
- Don’t pay. Paying rarely ends the demands.
- Stop responding, but don’t delete the conversation: keep screenshots as evidence.
- Report the account to the platform and block it.
- Report it to the police. Sextortion is a crime in most countries.
- If images of you were shared online, services such as StopNCII.org help adults get intimate images removed from participating platforms.
6. Protect your payments
On paid platforms, check the billing descriptor before paying, start with the smallest token or credit pack, and use two-factor authentication. Our privacy guide covers this in more detail.