Eight Impactful Reasons To Give Up Pornography

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"Porn is free because you pay with your soul." I fully believe in this phrase. Watching porn is considered a way to "destress" or "unwind" after a long day or to cope with some hardship in life, the same way alcohol or drugs can be used to "deal" with life. Unfortunately, these three things cause more harm than good. There are many reasons to give up pornography, but here are eight impactful reasons to give up porn.

#1: Give up supporting an industry that profits from abuse and toxic narratives.

People don't understand the normalization of horrible crimes in pornography. Rape, incest, racism, sexual violence, sex trafficking, CSAM, these are crimes that should make everyone disgusted. Instead, pornography makes it sexually appealing. Research proves that "as few as 1 in 3 and as many as 9 in 10 porn scenes contain physical violence or aggression." Don't support an industry that makes horrible crimes "sexy." There is nothing sexually appealing about any of this.

#2: Porn destroys your mental health.

There is a correlation between how porn consumption is linked to lowered mental health. People who consume porn are more likely to struggle with loneliness, anxiety, depression, or life satisfaction. Having a porn addiction is a dirty little secret nobody likes to have. You've never heard someone brag about having an alcohol or drug addiction. Porn is no different. In addition to this secrecy, you isolate yourself to consume more porn. It's an unhealthy cycle that feeds off each other. Most people who give up porn, however, have noticed their mental health improve.

#3: You can form proper, meaningful relationships.

Pornography sets unrealistic standards of what a relationship should be. Pornography destroys relationships. It is another form of cheating. And it's not only romantic partners in terms of relationships. Families can get destroyed by a family member's porn habits. 

#4: The research doesn't lie on porn's effects on an individual.

You can easily Google the hundreds of studies on how pornography negatively impacts people. The research doesn't lie. The facts don't lie. Pornography damages.

#5: Boost your self-esteem.

This bounces off of #3. Pornography sells a lie of how men and women should look and behave. Instead of believing that a woman's breasts or body should be a certain size, or a man's penis should be a certain length, you will appreciate your partner for who he/she is. People think these unrealistic standards are what is desired. It's all lies. You're built the way God made you, and it's perfect.

#6: You can do more productive things.

By giving up pornography, you will have more free time. You will be able to do things that make you happy. Going to the gym, hanging out with friends, learning a new skill. These things will only make you happy, which will boost your mental health.

#7: Stand by survivors.

Many survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, or rape (either as an adult or child) have shared how their abuse was filmed and uploaded onto popular porn sites. Back in November of 2020, 40 "Jane Does" filed a lawsuit against Pornhub for profiting off of their abuse videos and refusing to properly moderate what videos/images were uploaded. The porn industry exploits survivors of horrendous crimes. By giving up porn, you are showing you support and stand by survivors. 

#8: You'll be free.

This one doesn't need any more explanation. Instead of being a slave to this addiction, you'll be able to lead yourself. Not rely on some counterfeit version of happiness.

Conclusion

I've often thought about why I choose to speak out against pornography. After learning all of what I know, there is no way I can stay silent. Watching porn is damaging to everyone, from the people in the videos to you yourself. So what can be done? Speak out! Inform your friends and family. I always say education is key.

If you or someone you know is struggling with porn addiction, please listen closely. You aren't a bad person. You're human. We all struggle and make mistakes. That doesn't mean hope is lost. Check out Love Always Ministries or Fortify as resources. Pornography is a stain on society. It's an incredibly difficult habit to kick, but it isn't impossible. 

Follow me on Instagram at @youngpatriotrising for my latest Reel for Fight The New Drug's #RepTheMovement Day!

When Women are the Traffickers

Whenever we hear about perpetrators of human trafficking, we think of men. After all, the majority of human traffickers (aka pimps) are male. But what happens when a woman is a trafficker? Ghislaine Maxwell broke the stereotype that women are not (or cannot be) traffickers. She recruited and trafficked young girls for Jeffery Epstein. She is 100% guilty. Unfortunately, much of western society doesn't think women can traffic. "Just as there is no one type of trafficking victim, perpetrators of this crime also vary," shares the U.S. Department of Justice. To believe that women are incapable of being human traffickers is a dangerous lie.

Human trafficking is defined as "a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts." Traffickers target vulnerable individuals, and exploit their weakness for profit. Through grooming and manipulation, a trafficker places their victim under their control completely. So how can a woman be successful as a trafficker? Well, cultural biases make it easier for women to traffic. 

Women are perceived as trustworthy, gentle, caring, or loving. Motherly would be the word for this. If your child ran up to a woman, you wouldn't feel overly uneasy. The same cannot be said about a man. Additionally, Hollywood has created the image that human trafficking only involves men as the perpetrators, women can only be the victims, and that some form of kidnapping and/or physical harm is involved. These are all lies. Human trafficking depends on mental manipulation, not physical. Women can talk to a potential victim and be seen as a good listener or trusting, not having any ill intentions. That makes female recruiters even more effective. A young girl will trust a woman, because that woman can be seen as a motherly or sisterly figure. Many women who traffic for the same reason a man traffics: for money and power. 

A law-based article shared by The Albany Government Law Review stated the following about Hollywood's perception of human trafficking: "In contemporary Americanized western cultures, such as that in the United States, violence and aggression are habitually interpreted or characterized as masculine features. Observers claim that when violence is perpetrated by a woman, her behavior is frequently not interpreted as the action of an autonomous, psychologically sound adult, but rather as a product of mental or emotional illness, due to gender-based oppression or exploitation, attendant to a male culprit." Victims can be recruited more easily because a woman is perceived as trusting, and seen as less threatening than a man. 

There are many countries that don't have the same view of women like American western cultures. Countries like Nigeria, Israel, or Venezuela view women as much of a threat as men. In Nigeria and Thailand, it's actually common that women are the ones spearheading a trafficking operation. Women, just like men, can cause equal damage in human trafficking. Sadly, there isn't much research in the United States on female traffickers, and that shouldn't be the case.

Now, does this mean women who traffic weren't victims before? No. There are many cases where a woman was trafficked, and her trafficker led her into recruiting other girls. In an interview with Stop Modern Day Slavery, trafficking survivor Elizabeth Quiroz shared how her pimp, through exploitation, created a blurred view of right and wrong. Quiroz almost trafficked another young girl to her boyfriend, believing she was helping this girl, and that her boyfriend would be proud. This is just one example. While there are many women who traffic out of greed, we cannot ignore women who traffic after being trafficked themselves.

Assuming someone can be a victim of human trafficking or domestic violence based on gender alone is regressive. The same way we cannot assume perpetrators of human trafficking are one gender. Women can be traffickers, and we cannot continue to pretend this doesn't exist. Ghislaine Maxwell is proof of that.

The Scary Connection Between Domestic Violence and Pornography

Since Halloween recently passed, and this month is Fight The New Drug's yearly "No Porn November" challenge, I thought it was appropriate to write this post. Discussing pornography is always avoided, because it's such a hot topic. Many people are okay with pornography, many people are not. You never know who is on what side for porn. This is a topic I felt obligated to write about, as the issue of domestic violence and the issue of pornography are often discussed on this blog. The connection between porn consumption and domestic violence isn't only scary, it's real life. 

There are many disgusting acts that pornography normalizes. Rape, child abuse, incest, human trafficking. It may not surprise you that domestic violence is another act that is normalized in pornography. Domestic violence is defined as a pattern of abusive behavior in any relationship that is used by one partner to gain or maintain power and control over another intimate partner, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Pornography gives different views of men versus women. Men are seen as dominant and aggressive towards their female partners. Men are not men if they don't physically harm their partner. Women, on the other hand, are seen as easy to please and love to be abused or injured during sex. They're objects meant for pleasure.

One study found that on popular porn websites that "more than 1 in every 3 porn videos depicts sexual violence or aggression." "A common feature of contemporary porn videos is painful anal penetration as well as brutal gang rape and men slapping or choking women or pulling their hair while they penetrate them orally, vaginally, and anally," writes Walter DeKeseredy, Ph.D., and Rus Ervin Funk, MSW, CSE.

Pornography desensitizes. Instead of having the inhibitions to know right from wrong, pornography takes that away. It warps your mind into thinking these actions are normal. If you saw a woman being raped on the street, no normal person would sit back and allow it to continue. Why does this change when it comes to porn? However, according several researched articles, there is an indication that someone who consumes porn is "more likely to sexually objectify and dehumanize others, more likely to express an intent to rape, less likely to intervene during a sexual assault, more likely to victim-blame survivors of sexual assault, more likely to support violence against women, more likely to forward sexts without consent, and more likely to commit actual acts of sexual violence." WOW. Your mind cannot tell you what is right or wrong anymore once you're desensitizeddesensitized. 

It isn't only pornography that normalizes these things. Let's not forget the series, Fifty Shades of Grey, that pushed the idea that women can change an abusive partner. That's not a realistic view for women. This never happens. Majority of music pushes the normalization of rape or abuse of women. The issue doesn't only lie with pornography, although it is a larger part of the problem. 

So why does this matter? How does this impact anyone? Because porn consumption is affecting our youth. Many teenagers and even children are getting their sexual education from porn. Majority of porn videos contain some form of aggression, either physical (i.e. spanking, gagging) or verbal (name-calling). Common themes in violent porn videos include brutal gang rape or choking a partner. Men are the majority of perpetrators, while women were seen enjoying these acts. THIS is what your children is being taught. Boys are taught that violently assaulting violently assaulting (even raping) a woman is normal, while girls are taught that these acts committed to them is acceptable. And don't be fooled: this is happening. One perfect example was Billie Eilish, who started watching porn at 11 years old, and it affected how she perceived relationships with men. "The first few times I had sex, I was not saying no to things that were not good; it was because I thought that's what I was supposed to be attracted to," Billie shared in an interview with Howard Stern. 

If we don't stand up for the next generation, then who will?

Do not be fooled. Pornography does have a connection to domestic violencedomestic violence. It is normalized and very popular on porn sites. Porn is not a substitute for sex, and it certainly isn't a form of education. We cannot stay silent on this. Please join me in education friends and family on the dangers of porn this month. Fight for love.

Three Myths about Pornography

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Pornography sells many lies. Unfortunately, society believes the lies. Several myths are construed as truth by supporters (and even non-supporters) of pornography. People tend to get upset or offended if you start mentioning the true horrors behind the porn industry. Sadly, we live in such a sexualized society that if you criticize their foundation, it is unacceptable. Look at where we are. If you say having pornographic material in schools is inappropriate, you're called every name in the book. However, that is not the focus of this article. There are several myths about pornography that need to be debunked.

Porn Myth #1: Anyone in pornography is there willingly. 

Pornography is harmless entertainment.

These could have been separated, but in my opinion, these two go hand-in-hand. Most of us think that if someone is in a porn video, or considered a porn performer, that they are there by choice. After all, the age to enter pornography is 18. That's an adult, and adults can make informed decisions. Unfortunately, this is not the case. There is never a clear-cut way to know if someone in a porn scene wants to be there. There are real stories of men and women who were trafficked, raped, or sexually abused. When this happens, it goes two ways. Someone coerced, forced, or manipulated them into doing these acts. What about performers who choose to do these scenes? Sadly, they are also victims of sexual abuse, as many get exploited and coerced into doing a certain scene. Fight The New Drug shared one quote from a former performer on how they were forced into a scene: "I was threatened that if I did not do the scene I was going to get sued for lots of money."

The idea that pornography is "harmless entertainment" couldn't be further from the truth. Several female performers have described getting injured on set. Again, there's the trafficking aspect of pornography. Many victims of human trafficking have had their abuse uploaded onto popular porn sites. Because porn sites do little to ensure their content is legal, these videos can get viewed by millions of people per day. Victims of rape, human trafficking, or sexual abuse are forced to relive their trauma because these videos exist.

Porn Myth #2: Watching pornography doesn't equate 

to cheating on a partner/spouse.

This is actually a heavily debated question. Many supporters of this argument state that watching porn doesn't mean you are cheating on your partner because they're not sleeping with that person. If a man has a girlfriend, but watches porn, he isn't "cheating." He's just watching some "harmless entertainment." Watching pornography doesn't only damage you as a person, but it damages your ability to be in a healthy relationship. Porn sells the idea that men and women are perfect. So what happens when your spouse or partner doesn't seem as "perfect" as the actors and actresses in a porn video? Porn leads to objectification. Porn also causes secrecy. If you struggled with drug or alcohol abuse, would you go parading this to your friends, family, or partner? Probably not. The secrecy associated with porn consumption, especially in a relationship, is detrimental, which leads to poorer communication (an essential part of a healthy relationship). Porn costs you the ability to be truly happy in a relationship.

Porn Myth #3: You aren't hurting anyone by 

watching porn.

This goes back to the first myth. With all I described with victims of human trafficking and rape having their abuse recorded and uploaded online, by watching their "performance," you further add onto their trauma. Aside from this obvious aspect, who else can porn harm? Everyone in your life. Your family, your friends, your partner or significant other, and even yourself, they're all harmed by pornography. How porn impacts you as a human being is no joke. Your self-esteem and mental health declines as a result of consuming porn. It's no joke when you hear people say, "Porn is free because you pay with your soul." 

Conclusion

Regrettably, and I hate to be so negative, but there is no way to avoid pornographic material. Hollywood, the music industry, social media, and the Internet makes pornography easily accessible. This doesn't mean we cannot guard our eyes and ears from what we consume. Do not believe the lies sold by mainstream culture.

If you or someone you know is struggling with porn addiction, there is hope! Check out either Fortify or Love Always Ministries.

The Connection Between Human Trafficking and PTSD

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Whenever people hear of a trafficking victim being rescued, we often think "That's great! The worst is over. Now that they have been rescued, it's all going to be smooth sailing for that person." In actuality, getting rescued is only the beginning. The impact of human trafficking on one's mental health is extremely damaging. Many victims of human trafficking suffer the effects of PTSD.

Let's start out with a definition of what PTSD is. According to the Mayo Clinic, post-traumatic stress disorder (better known as PTSD) is a mental health condition "that is triggered by a terrifying event — either experiencing it or witnessing it." These "events" can include actual or life-threatening violence, serious injury, or sexual abuse or exploitation. In many cases, when we hear the word "PTSD," we think of veterans, as they witnessed events none of us can fathom. However, human trafficking victims do get overlooked when discussing PTSD. 

What are the symptoms of PTSD? As stated by the Anxiety & Depression Association of America, there are three main types of symptoms:

1. Re-experiencing the trauma through intrusive distressing recollections of the event, flashbacks, and nightmares.
2. Emotional numbness and avoidance of places, people, and activities that are reminders of the trauma.
3. Increased arousal such as difficulty sleeping and concentrating, feeling jumpy, and being easily irritated and angered.

How can someone who has been trafficked experience PTSD? It's pretty simple. Defined by the DOJ, human trafficking is defined as "a crime that involves compelling or coercing a person to provide labor or services, or to engage in commercial sex acts." Contrary to popular belief, the coercion that traffickers use doesn't involve as much violence. Instead, majority of coercion is non-physical. The use of psychological coercion can create as much damage to a person as physical person. Some examples of psychological coercion can include watching your every move, controlling your finances, telling you where you can or can't go, getting angry at the littlest thing, disparaging you or your self-esteem, and more. 

The process of getting a victim to become compliant and reliant on their trafficker is mainly through non-violence. A pimp might tell his girl that he's got indecent photos of her "performing," threatening to send them to her friends and family to shame her and embarrass them. That girl will do whatever that pimp tells her to do. Some victims might witness the assault of other victims. In other cases, that victim has his/her family threatened. The constant fear of being exposed, the continuation of threats, the potential physical abuse, in addition to the sexual abuse she or he is facing, all can lead to what is known as PTSD.

Due to their experiences, victims feel they cannot move on. They have to watch their backs. There is a feeling of being in danger 24/7 based on their previous difficulties. Just like veterans, PTSD can overtake a human trafficking survivor's life. Survivors might also experience high levels of anxiety and/or depression.

To help survivors of human trafficking who suffer from PTSD, anxiety, or depression, mental health services are necessary. As I have shared earlier, I have begun my Master's in Applied Behavior Practice, so I may earn my certificate to become a licensed behavior analyst. While most people who choose this degree go into fields relating to children (specifically children with autism), in my research for this degree, I have learned that you can work in mental health services. I would like to work with individuals who suffer with PTSD (either veterans or human trafficking victims). I believe this is the path I am meant to go on. 

You may be wondering how applied behavior analysis could be used to treat PTSD. There's a concept, which is basically the building blocks of ABA. They're called the ABCs of ABA: Antecedent, Behavior, Consequence. An antecedent is something that triggers a certain behavior. It is something you can hear, smell, see, or touch. The behavior is how that individual responds, either physically or non-physically. The consequence is the end result of what behavior occurred. A behavior analyst will work with a client to see what antecedent causes the behavior, and how to reinforce good behavior, while slowly stopping bad ones.

Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious issue. We cannot stay silent on those suffering. Human trafficking victims need proper support, so they may be able to live the happy life they deserve.

Domestic Abuse Against Men Cannot be Ignored

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Just like the case with male victims of human trafficking, the male victims of domestic abuse have been suffering silently. Johnny Depp's victory against his ex-wife, Amber Heard, stuck a knife at the heart of the #MeToo movement. Now it's seen that men could be abused by their female partners. How many men didn't have the same support or public outcry that Johnny Depp had? How many men had hashtags trending for them? Men have been underrepresented in domestic violence discussions for too long.

Before we continue, let's explain what domestic abuse is. According to DomesticViolence.org, domestic abuse is "a pattern of one person trying to dominate or control another person." This crime is already underreported. While the majority of victims are women, men still make up a significant portion of domestic abuse cases. 1 in 4 males experience some form of abuse (i.e. stalking, hitting, etc.). It's horrifying. Many people will scoff and claim that these instances are rare, despite what statistics say.

You can easily Google stories of male victims to domestic violence and find several results. Society has this idea that only men can be manipulative and physical. That if a woman hits or verbally abuses a man, he can take it and/or deserves it. I came across one Reddit thread, where several men (and women) shared stories of domestic abuse. On another website, domesticviolencestatistics.org, you can visit the comment section and read heartbreaking stories of domestic abuse. Men are abused, and don't deserve to be ostracized.

This story absolutely blew me away: Actor Will Rastall and actress Eline Van Der Velden did a social experiment, where they both took turns screaming at each other and threatening violence, to resemble a domestic abuse situation, in a span of 90 minutes. When Will screamed at Eline and threatened her, several people stopped to make sure Eline wasn't in danger. Eline said in a matter of seconds of beginning the experiment, someone ran over to make sure she was okay. Very encouraging, right? So what happened when the roles were reversed, and Eline did the screaming and threatening? In the span of 90 minutes, only one person came to see if Will was alright. Even Will himself said that it was embarrassing and hurtful that nobody wanted to see if he was okay.

This leads to the question of why men don't come forward about their abuse. There's several reasons, and believe it or not, these reasons are similar to why women don't come forward.

Reason #1: Fear

The social stigmas that surround male victims pushes them from admitting their abuse. The fear of ostracization trumps them all. Anytime a man admits to someone he has been abused, majority of the time he is laughed at. "You couldn't fight back against a woman?" "You're such a wuss!" "A woman cannot hit or curse like a man!" In the same social experiment I shared, Van der Velden shared how some teenage boys recorded Will being "attacked," laughing at how he was getting "beat up" by a woman. "It was amusing to them that a woman was abusing a man." After all I have described, is it any wonder why men don't come forward? They're seen as the perpetrators only. There is the fear of being seen as the abuser. Again, gender biases have led people (including authorities) to believe if there is a call for domestic violence, the man has committed the atrocious actions. A woman can cause equal damage, emotionally and physically, to a man, as a man can to a woman.

Reason #2: Lack of resources

Unfortunately, because the media and the government only focus on female victims of domestic violence, there aren't many resources made available for men in the same abusive situation. And there is a need for them. Safe houses are necessary, yet there aren't many for men. Whatever resources are available are not highlighted enough, which leads to men not knowing about them.

Reason #3: Don't see themselves as victims

Going back to the first reason, because men are seen only as the aggressors, they do not see themselves as the victim. The media portrays men as the perpetrators. Society doesn't see them that way, so why would a man see himself as a victim? It's also considered weak or pathetic for a man to say he's been abused, especially when there isn't physical violence. The idea that psychological abuse isn't as bad as physical abuse is untrue. It can actually be worse. Many (male or female) will blame themselves for what happened.

What can be done?

I believe awareness is a vital part. As much as it shouldn't have taken such a high profile case to bring awareness to this issue, I'm grateful Johnny's trial has created conversation. Men weren't taken seriously until Depp admitted he was a victim. I have hope that Johnny's victory will lead to more men coming forward. There's going to be a turning point. In an era of equal rights and supporting victims, why are men left out in these discussions? This cannot be the case any longer. Abuse has no gender, and should be addressed as such.

If you or someone you know is in an abusive situation and need help, visit The National Domestic Violence Hotline or you can call them at 1-888-799-7233.

The Tragic Truth of Sextortion

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National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Hotline: 1-800-843-5678

National Human Trafficking Hotline: 1-888-373-7888 

           Text HELP or INFO to 233733

National Suicide Prevention Hotline: Call or Text 988

While viewing my Instagram stories (follow me @youngpatriotrising), I came across an article from Fight The New Drug's story. The article is fairly recent (published on September 6th). In this article, the author shared the heartbreaking story of Amanda Todd, a victim of sextortion. What she went through was horrible, and in the end, after she was relentlessly bullied and humiliated, she committed suicide. Sextortion is a serious issue, and it's really impacting our children. 

Let's start out with a definition of sextortion. It's literally how it sounds! Sex + extortion. According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, sextortion is defined as "a form of child sexual exploitation where children are threatened or blackmailed, most often with the possibility of sharing with the public a nude or sexual images of them, by a person who demands additional sexual content, sexual activity or money from the child." Basically, an adult manipulates a minor into sending them a nude or sexually explicit photo (i.e. performing a sexual act), because that child or teenager trusts that adult. 

What are the statistics surrounding sextortion? Here are a few, provided by Fight The New Drug:

• 1 in 4 victims of sextortion were under the age of 13 (found in a study conducted by THORN and Crimes Against Children Research Center at UNH).
• The same study found that over 50% of sextortion cases took place on social media.
• During the pandemic, men were more likely to be victims of sextortion than women.
• The porn industry fosters, fuels, and perpetuates sextortion.
• Sextortion scams became popular during COVID. Evil, manipulative individuals tricked others into believing that they had explicit photos/videos of them and would use it against them.

The fact that children are the main victims of sextortion is a scary reality. It's not so easy to claim, "Children should know the meaning of 'stranger danger.'" We live in a technological era, where we see what other people have and envy them. Society has given our youth a warped viewpoint of what happiness and success means. This is why they will accept messages from strangers. To make matters worse, children or teenagers are afraid to tell their family of their sextortion. In the same study conducted by UNH and THORN, "79% of participants said fear of getting in trouble stopped them from telling a family member or friend."

I also want to share the connection sextortion has to human trafficking. Traffickers will claim to have explicit pictures/videos of their victim (which could be the truth or a lie), threatening to share these pictures or videos with a victim's friends and family and/or post online. After being extorted, that person is in debt to the trafficker, and may be forced to sell their body to "repay their debt" to avoid the shame. In the story of Theresa Flores, author of The Slave Across The Street, her trafficking experience started after her rapist's cousins took pictures of her being raped (the images appeared as if she was simply having sex). Because her parents were strict Catholics, Theresa was terrified of them learning the truth, so she did whatever the cousins wanted. She was sold, raped, and severely beaten every night for two years before escaping this world. Just another horrifying example of how dangerous sextortion can be.

This is extremely damaging to someone's mental health. The duress this places you under is immense. In many cases, this leads an individual to do something dangerous or even deadly. Such was the case with Amanda Todd and Tevan Tobler. Both of these healthy and happy teenagers were victims of sextortion, and took their life as a result of what they went through. It's extremely saddening to read, but even more upsetting that this crime is so prevalent. 

What can be done? Because this is happening in our time. If we don't protect our children, someone will exploit them. I hate to sound so doom-and-gloom, but that is our current reality. If you should find yourself or someone you know (child or adult), keep this list saved: 

1. Know the red flags. This is probably one of the best ways to prevent extortion. Knowledge really is power. Some of the signs of a potential extorter for sex include the following: flattery, sending gifts, offer for modeling gig, asking for personal information, isolation, secretive conversations, requests for sexual photos, threats. How many times have you been messaged by a random account asking for you to be their sugar baby? Prime example!
2. Stay calm. Do not blame yourself, your child, or anyone except the abuser. The only person to blame is the extorter. He or she knew what they were doing to you. Don't shift blame. Do not get angry. Be understanding of the situation, because it's very delicate. If this is your child, and the photos are being shared at the school (which could lead to bullying), your child's mental state is in shambles. Getting angry could hurt them more.
3. Record everything for evidence. Take screenshots, document messages and timestamps, save their username. Anything that can count as evidence to get this person will be useful.
4. Get counseling. Don't say "I'm fine." Don't believe your child or your friend if they claim to be okay. It won't hurt talking to a psychiatrist or counselor over what happened.

We live in scary times, but that doesn't mean we have to sit back and wait for it to happen. Parents, I cannot emphasize enough to talk to your children and teens. This could happen to any of us. Like I say about human trafficking, awareness and education is key to fighting this issue!