The FBI is warning the public about an increase in the crime known as "sextortion," when suspects target minors and threaten or coerce them into sending sexually explicit videos and images online.
Offenders then threaten to release the content unless the victim produces more.
Financially motivated sextortion follows a similar pattern, but ultimately offenders are looking for financial gain.
Special Agent Curtis Cox in the FBI's Salt Lake City office said they receive dozens of calls a month.
"These cases typically involve young male victims between the age of 13 to 17 - and we see some younger than that, actually - and so, we're really just trying to get the word out," said Cox. "Obviously, awareness is key here. We want kids to know what sorts of dangers they face online. We want them to know what resources are available to them."
Cox said in the six months from October 2022 to March 2023, the FBI saw a 20% increase in the reporting of financially motivated sextortion cases.
If you or someone you know believes they're a victim of this kind of crime, contact law enforcement immediately. You can report it to the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI or online at 'tips.fbi.gov.'
Cox said as young people live their lives online, some fall victim to these scams - typically on Instagram or Snapchat.
He said the scammers, who pretend to be teenage girls, approach young men. The scammer will send a sexually explicit photo and solicit one in return - which is then used to demand money from the victim.
"With threats that if the money's not paid, they're going to send those pictures to social media contacts - their friends, their family, to others in the kid's orbit," said Cox. "And obviously, that fear of being exposed that way causes these kids to panic."
Cox said trying to make payments doesn't solve the problem - and can exacerbate it.
He adds the resulting anxiety can lead people who've been scammed to self-harm or thoughts of suicide. But he said there are resources to help.
And he urged parents to not judge or be angry at their teen, but to view them as a victim who needs help and support.
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A unique approach to preventing youth homelessness in Washington is proving highly effective, with more than 93% of participants still housed one year later.
The Homelessness Prevention and Diversion Fund provides flexible aid to young people in nine Washington counties. In its first three years, it has helped more than 1,700 young people find safe housing. Washington has the nation's third-highest homelessness rate, and supporters said the program saves money by removing red tape and keeping youth out of shelters.
Jim Theofelis, founder and executive director of NorthStar Advocates, said the strategy is simple: Ask youth what they need.
"We actually asked the young person, 'Where can you live and what will that take to make that happen?'" Theofelis explained. "Which is a very different approach than saying, 'Go to that shelter three miles down and take a right.'"
Instead of using a central nonprofit, Theofelis pointed out the program trains advocates in places where homeless youth go for help, like drop-in centers and fire stations, so they can quickly access funds to get into safe housing. Lawmakers are considering cuts to the program, which Theofelis warned would raise state costs and reduce support for young people.
Most young people have somewhere safe they can go, Theofelis added but they may need a small financial boost to make the transition.
"Some people will say, 'I could live with grandma, but she's really poor and she needs some help.' Or, 'I'm 23, I have two friends and I could get a room with them if I had first and last month's rent,'" Theofelis outlined.
Theofelis noted youth typically face more steps to find housing, starting with shelters and case management, while the fund's approach is much faster. After an application, advocates ensure the housing is safe and send a one-time payment averaging $2,700 directly where it's needed. Theofelis emphasized it is much cheaper than other strategies.
"We're saving emergency shelter beds, all kinds of other funding sources that come into play once they hit the streets," Theofelis stressed. "We really think this saves money and helps reduce our budget deficit, as well as saving lives."
Of the teens and young adults the program has served, about 60% are people of color and nearly 40% are pregnant or parenting.
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April is Second Chance Month, with extra focus on helping people with a criminal past keep from becoming repeat offenders.
In steering Minnesota youths away from a troubled path, experts said public messaging needs a reset. Recent survey findings from the social issues firm Fenton Communications showed a majority of Americans think violent crime rates for youth are on the rise.
Jennifer Hahn, chief client officer for Fenton, said in a forum hosted by the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the numbers have actually been going down, except for isolated pockets. She noted the public still hangs onto a certain mindset for when a young person is accused of committing a crime.
"There still is this very sticky belief that punishment works," Hahn observed.
Hahn suggested such beliefs muddy the conversation about pushing ahead with effective interventions. On the brighter side, many survey respondents felt meeting a child's basic needs, such as access to health care, leads to better outcomes. Hahn pointed out that recognition can be a useful tool for churches, local leaders and others trying to elevate youth programs.
Hahn advised youth advocates should not flat out reject how the public feels about crime, even if one's sentiments conflict with the data. One reason is not everyone will be convinced. Instead, she hopes public discourse leans more on the role strong communities play in shaping youth, because it already resonates with a lot of people.
"Let's get safe spaces so that kids can do this," Hahn urged. "Let's support parents because it's challenging. Let's help local communities offer more job opportunities or recreation programs."
Overall, Hahn recommended a balanced approach of weighing the facts and engaging in stories about positive community responses. She encouraged people, no matter their role in the discussion, to stop using terms such as "juvenile delinquent," saying they feed into harmful assumptions.
State data show between 2012 and 2022, the number of Minnesota children arrested each year for serious crimes was nearly cut in half.
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By Vanessa Davidson / Broadcast version by Farah Siddiqi reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.
Around 1,000 more people moved into Ohio than moved out of it in 2023, according to Census data.
At the same time, Ohio is aging: Between 2010 and 2024, the percentage of Ohioans aged 65 and older increased from 14.1% to 18.7%, which is about one percentage point higher than the national average.
“Younger people are more likely to move to pursue job opportunities, and there are lots of opportunities in Ohio, but they're not all evenly distributed,” said Robert J. Graham, senior research scholar and associate director of Scripps Gerontology Center at Ohio’s Miami University.
Because younger adults tend to concentrate in urban areas for jobs, rural areas are experiencing the impact of an aging population the most.
“There are some [people] that say, ‘Hey, I want to go to college. I want to increase my education and get new opportunities,’ or ‘I'm looking for jobs,’ and those jobs tend to be created in more urban areas, or suburban [areas], and the rural areas in particular are seeing the face of that,” Graham said.
“They're having an increasing aging population and decreasing number of young adults and people to fill important services that are needed in their communities,” he added.
On the other hand, according to a 2025 data study from SmartAsset, Columbus, Cincinnati and Cleveland saw an influx of new residents in 2023. Columbus saw an estimated 75,500 (around 8.4% of the city’s population) adults between 25 and 44 move in. Newcomers in that age range accounted for 6.9% of Cincinnati’s population and 6.4% of Cleveland’s.
Forbes included Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus on its 2024 “best cities for young professionals” list.
In addition to employment opportunities, cities like Cincinnati, Dayton and Columbus in Ohio allow for more cultural and social diversity compared to their rural counterparts.
“Cleveland has a wide range of cultures, a large food scene, some very, very, very good public museums, gardens,” said Kent State junior fashion design major Lily Blackburn, who is from Illinois. “The city’s very beautiful, the architecture is really cool, the nightlife is not bad, the [art] museum is free, [and] the botanical gardens are really cool.”
Still, many Ohioans opt to move to other states.
“If I'm being honest, I would not look here in Ohio for jobs that are inside my major,” said Blackburn, the KSU student.
According to Census data, in 2023, around 18,500 Ohioans moved to Florida and around 13,500 to Texas. (Around the same number of people moved from Florida to Ohio, but only 8,500 Texans moved to Ohio.) Between 11,000 and 13,000 moved to each of Ohio’s neighboring states of Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Indiana.
“If you look at some of where state populations are growing — a lot of the growth over the past couple of decades has taken place in areas in the South. So, Texas and parts of the Carolinas and Florida and Georgia, places like that,” said Jacob Duritsky, vice president of strategy, research and talent at TeamNeo.
According to Duritsky, there’s not a single driving force behind that migration. Factors like diversity, the job market and climate all contribute.
“What's actually happening is our economy is diversifying,” said Jacob Duritsky. In Northeast Ohio, he said, “We're seeing healthcare growing. We're seeing professional services growing. So, along with the decline of manufacturing, that was offset by gains in other industries.”
Some cities, including Cleveland, are finding ways to incentivize younger residents to stay.
“The [Cleveland] Town Alliance has a whole strategy around college retention,” said Duritsky. “We have tens of thousands of students who are going in our institutions. I think one of the best opportunities we have is to start to retain those people in greater numbers.”
Ohio saw its highest-ever total number of jobs in 2024. Duritsky believes that’s key to keeping young people in the state.
“If we can keep our educated young people here by giving them opportunities to find internships and first jobs, by getting them into the community and experiencing all this sort of social and civic life that's here, I think that's one of the ways we start to move the dial,” said Duritsky.
This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.
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