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Sextortion: using NCMEC’s Take It Down service

Free, step-by-step use of NCMEC’s Take It Down service.

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Printable resource·Last reviewed 2026-04-22·1 min read·by Lexeprint Inc.

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When to use this

If a nude or sexual image of someone under 18 is being threatened, shared, or posted online. It works for real photos and AI-generated fakes.

What the Take It Down service does

NCMEC’s Take It Down creates a digital fingerprint (“hash”) of the image on the user’s device. The hash is shared with participating platforms (Meta, TikTok, Snap, Pornhub, OnlyFans, and more). When those platforms see a matching image, they remove it.

Critical: your kid keeps the image on their phone during the hash step

Take It Down needs the image to create the hash. The hash is what’s uploaded — not the image: NCMEC says the image or video “will remain on your device and will not be submitted”. Do not download, copy or forward the image to another phone to run the tool — NCMEC’s answer is “No! Do not download or share any nude, partially nude or sexually explicit image or video in order to submit to Take It Down” (Take It Down FAQ). Run it on the device the image is already on. After hashing, you can delete.

Steps

  1. Go to takeitdown.ncmec.org on the kid’s device.
  2. Choose “I have a nude image or video of me when I was under 18.”
  3. Select the image(s).
  4. The service computes a hash locally — no image is uploaded.
  5. Once complete, delete the original image from the kid’s device.
  6. Wait for participating platforms to detect and remove matches.

What the Take It Down service cannot do

  • Doesn’t work on platforms that don’t participate (e.g., some encrypted chats).
  • Doesn’t identify or prosecute the person who shared the image.
  • Doesn’t replace a police report.

Related sextortion resources

  • CyberTipline: report.cybertip.org.
  • FBI: 1-800-CALL-FBI (225-5324) or your local field office; ic3.gov if money was demanded or sent.
  • Evidence: keep usernames, profile links, messages, payment handles and amounts. Do not screenshot, save or forward the image itself — describe it to law enforcement.
  • Local police report.
  • For adults (18+): StopNCII at stopncii.org.

SecureYourKidsDevice.com / Lexeprint Inc. Not legal advice. See our disclaimer.