A free, anonymous tool can fingerprint an image so major platforms block it — a real first step that doesn't require going public.
The situation, the move, the outcome.
A teen who fears an explicit image of themselves is circulating can feel powerless. NCMEC's Take It Down tool, launched at the end of 2022 with initial funding from Meta, changes that. The teen (or a parent) selects the image on their own device; the tool converts it into a unique digital fingerprint, or 'hash,' and never uploads the picture itself. Participating platforms — including Facebook, Instagram, OnlyFans and Pornhub — use that hash to detect and remove or block the image. It can be used anonymously, and since launch it has helped resolve hundreds of cases.
Why it matters beyond one family.
Many teens won't go to the police or even their parents out of shame — so a private, low-barrier first step matters enormously. Take It Down meets teens where they are while still tackling the spread of the image at the platform level.
How to apply it.
- Reassure your teen that an image already out there can still be contained — it's not hopeless.
- Walk through Take It Down together, or let them use it privately if they prefer.
- Pair it with a report to NCMEC's CyberTipline for anything involving coercion or an adult.
Concrete next steps.
- Start at takeitdown.ncmec.org — the image stays on the device; only the hash is shared.
- For images that may not be online yet, the similar StopNCII.org serves adults 18+.
- Keep evidence and report to the FBI if there's extortion involved.
Read it for yourself.
- Take It Down — official NCMEC tool takeitdown.ncmec.org ↗
- NBC News — a tool for teens to remove explicit images nbcnews.com ↗
- Cyberbullying Research Center — how Take It Down works cyberbullying.org ↗
If your teen is being sextorted: do not pay, do not delete anything, and stop all contact with the offender. Save the messages and usernames. Report to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov or 1-800-CALL-FBI and to NCMEC's CyberTipline at CyberTipline.org. Use NCMEC's free Take It Down tool (takeitdown.ncmec.org) to stop images from spreading. For emotional crisis, call or text 988 (Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, 24/7).