Something's happening. Start here.
You don't have to know what you're dealing with yet. Take the first step, then the next one.
If someone is in immediate danger
If your child is talking about suicide or self-harm
988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: free, confidential, 24/7
In Arizona: Teen Lifeline
Maricopa County: 602-248-8336 ·
Outside Maricopa: 1-800-248-8336
Free, confidential, 24/7. Peer counseling and texting 3–9pm daily.
If your child is being exploited, groomed, or sextorted online
NCMEC CyberTipline: 1-800-843-5678
24-hour hotline · Report online at report.cybertip.org
To get explicit images of a minor taken down: takeitdown.ncmec.org It’s free, and it works without you uploading the image.
Prefer to text
Crisis Text Line: text HOME to 741741
What's happening?
An image or video is out there, or someone is threatening to share one
Do this now:
- Tell your child this is not their fault, and say it first. They are terrified you’ll be angry. Sextortion works precisely because kids believe they can’t tell you.
- Do not pay. Paying almost never ends it. It signals there’s money here and the demands continue.
- Do not delete anything. Screenshots, usernames, messages, payment requests: it’s evidence. Save it before you block.
- Then block the account on every platform.
- Report it: report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678. Also report at ic3.gov (FBI).
- Start a takedown: takeitdown.ncmec.org. Free, and no image upload required.
Read next: Preventing Sextortion: What Parents Need to Know to Keep Children Safe Online · Exposing Online Predator Tactics: Understanding Sextortion and Digital Exploitation for Child Safety
My child is talking about suicide or hurting themselves
Do this now:
- Call or text 988. Now, not after you finish reading.
- Don’t leave them alone.
- Remove access to means: medications, firearms, sharp objects, car keys.
- Ask directly. “Are you thinking about killing yourself?” Asking does not plant the idea. It gives them permission to tell the truth.
- Listen longer than feels comfortable before you problem-solve.
- In Arizona: Teen Lifeline: 602-248-8336 (Maricopa) or 1-800-248-8336. Your child can speak to a trained teen.
If they’ve already hurt themselves, or have a plan and means, call 911 or go to an emergency room.
Read next: Building Digital Resilience: Protecting Youth Mental Health in a Hyper-Connected World
My child is being bullied or harassed online
Do this now:
- Screenshot everything before you report. Content disappears.
- Report inside the platform and block.
- Don’t take the phone away as the first move. For most kids this reads as punishment for telling you, and it teaches them not to tell you next time.
- Tell the school in writing: email, not a hallway conversation. Most districts have obligations that only start once it’s documented.
- Watch for withdrawal, sleep changes, refusing school. If it’s affecting daily functioning, involve a counselor.
An adult or stranger has been contacting my child
Do this now:
- Preserve the account, messages and username before blocking.
- Report to the CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org or 1-800-843-5678.
- Contact local law enforcement and ask for the detective handling internet crimes against children. At night most detectives are off duty, so ask for the on-duty supervisor and be direct. Your state ICAC Task Force: icactaskforce.org
- Don’t confront the account yourself. It tips them off and can destroy evidence.
- Ask your child what was sent, without interrogating. What they’re most afraid of is your reaction.
Read next: Exposing Online Predator Tactics: Understanding Sextortion and Digital Exploitation for Child Safety
Something happened at school
Do this now:
- Put it in writing to the principal. Verbal reports vanish. Don’t copy the district yet: if you don’t get a resolution, that’s your next step, and you want it in reserve.
- Ask specifically what the school’s obligation is: mandatory reporting, Title IX, threat assessment. The answer determines what happens next.
- Keep your own timeline: dates, names, what was said.
- If it involves abuse or a mandatory-reporting failure, you can report directly to your state child-safety agency. You do not need the school’s permission.
Read next: Arizona’s SB 1437: A Common-Sense Law That Finally Holds Schools Accountable
Screens have taken over and the house is at war
Do this now:
- Don’t do a cold-turkey confiscation in the middle of a fight. It escalates and it teaches nothing.
- Name the problem, not the kid: “This isn’t working for our family” rather than “You’re addicted.”
- Change the environment before the rules: devices out of bedrooms overnight, charging in the kitchen. Environment beats willpower.
- Decide what fills the space. Removing screens without replacing them just makes everyone miserable.
This one usually isn’t a crisis. It’s a system that needs rebuilding. That’s what I do.
Read next: Family Digital Detox: Why Your Home Needs Screen-Free Time to Reconnect and Thrive
If you want someone to talk it through with
Sometimes you don't need a resource list. You need someone who's seen this before to tell you how bad it actually is, and what to do next.
The Navigator Triage Call is free. Fifteen minutes.
What it is: A straight read on what you're dealing with, the next two or three steps, and, if you need one, a referral to someone I trust.
What it isn't: Therapy, legal advice, or a sales call. If you need a clinician or an attorney, I'll tell you, and I'll help you find one.
Typical wait: 12 to 24 hours. I check messages daily and reply as quickly as I can. If it's urgent, don't wait for me. Use the numbers above.
Or write it down and I will come back to you
If you would rather not book a time, or you cannot talk right now, tell me what is happening here. It comes straight to me.
I read these myself. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. If your child is talking about suicide, call or text 988 now rather than waiting for me.
After the emergency
The hardest part usually isn't the crisis. It's the six months afterwards: rebuilding trust, deciding about devices, working out whether your kid needs a therapist, and repairing a family that just went through something frightening.
Find the right professional
Therapists, digital forensics, attorneys, advocates. Vetted and matched.
The Family Network →Questions parents ask
- Should I take my child’s phone away?
- Usually not as the first move, and almost never in the middle of the crisis. For most kids it lands as punishment for telling you, which is the exact behavior you need more of. Preserve evidence first, deal with the device later.
- Should I call the police?
- If a crime has occurred (sextortion, an adult soliciting a child, threats), yes. Report to the CyberTipline as well; they coordinate with law enforcement. If you’re unsure whether it’s criminal, report it anyway. That’s what the tipline is for.
- My child begged me not to tell anyone.
- That instinct is exactly what the person exploiting them is relying on. You can honor their dignity (controlling who finds out, and how) without honoring the secrecy.
- Is it my fault?
- No. These are engineered scripts run by adults who do this for a living, and they work on capable kids in attentive families. The question that matters now is what happens next.