Guidance · Education · Support
Helping children and families navigate digital threats safely
Online problems rarely stay small for long. A single message, image or account can turn into something a family does not know how to handle. We help you understand what is happening and decide what to do next.
Practical guidance, education, workshops and professional support for parents, young people, schools and organisations dealing with digital threats affecting children and teenagers.
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Safety comes first
ObsidianCorps is not an emergency service, a helpline or a law enforcement agency. If a child is in immediate danger, there is a credible threat to someone's safety, or you suspect child sexual abuse or exploitation, contact the appropriate authorities first. We can help afterwards, and alongside them.
Immediate danger to life or safety. In Luxembourg, call 112 for medical, fire or rescue emergencies.
Official emergency guidanceImmediate police assistance for danger or threats. For a non-emergency report or advice, contact a local police station.
Police emergency guidanceFree, confidential support through KJT. Helpline availability and opening hours differ by country.
KJT support and opening hoursFree, confidential advice about online safety for children, young people, parents and professionals.
Helpline details and opening hoursSuicide and crisis support (Luxembourg): SOS Détresse — 45 45 45. Support for people in distress or experiencing suicidal thoughts. 454545.lu — support and opening hours.
Reporting illegal content: BEE SECURE Stopline accepts reports of suspected child sexual abuse material and other content within its remit. Individual bullying or fraud cases should go to the helpline or police, as appropriate. For a non-emergency police report, find your local police station.
National reporting routes differ by country. If you are unsure which one applies to you, ask us and we will point you to the right one.
Find your starting point
Different people arrive here for very different reasons. Pick the door that fits you best.
“My child is being bullied online and I don't know what to do.”
How to react in the first hour, what to preserve, what to avoid, and how to keep your child talking to you.
Guidance for parents For young people“Someone has my pictures and is threatening to share them.”
You are not in trouble for asking. What to do first and how to get a trusted adult involved.
Guidance for young people For schools and organisations“We had an incident and need professional guidance.”
Workshops for parents, pupils and staff, plus structured support when you are dealing with a live incident.
Workshops and supportRecognise the situation
Each situation has its own dynamics, and the right first move is not always the obvious one. Open a topic for practical first actions.
Save non-explicit messages, usernames, dates and links. Listen without blame, report the accounts, and block or restrict contact. If classmates are involved, ask the school to coordinate a response. Threats or immediate danger need police involvement.
Read the first-hour checklistDo not pay, send more images or negotiate. Tell a trusted adult and contact the police. Preserve the threats, account details and links without copying sexual images of a minor. Report and block the account; get help with removal through the platform and specialist reporting services.
Read the first-hour checklistKeep the conversation with your child open. Record usernames, links and non-explicit messages; do not confront the person or arrange a meeting. If you suspect sexual abuse or exploitation, contact the police or a child protection authority promptly.
Read the first-hour checklistUse a trusted device and the platform's official recovery process. Secure the recovery email first, then affected accounts. Change reused passwords, remove unknown sessions and linked apps, check recovery details, and enable multi-factor authentication.
Read the first-hour checklistKeep a timeline of contact, usernames and threats. Report and block each new account, restrict incoming messages, and involve a trusted adult. A credible threat, stalking or escalation needs police advice; immediate danger needs an emergency call.
Read the first-hour checklistSave the profile URL and non-explicit screenshots, then use the platform's impersonation reporting route. Let known contacts know through a trusted channel. Review public photos and account security; report threats, fraud or sexual exploitation to the police.
Read the first-hour checklistReview profiles, old posts, location sharing and photo clues together. Limit who can see posts, tag the account or send messages. If personal details are being used to threaten someone, keep a record of the threats and seek police advice.
Read the first-hour checklistPause private contact and tell a trusted adult. Do not send identifying details or arrange to meet. Secrecy, gifts, sexual requests and pressure deserve attention even when the person seems kind. Suspected exploitation belongs with the authorities.
Read the first-hour checklistCheck who can send DMs, invite the account to servers or join voice chat. Report abusive users and server moderators where appropriate. Avoid giveaway links and shared passwords, enable account protection, and agree how to ask for help.
Read the first-hour checklistSupport the young person and record URLs, usernames and threats without downloading or circulating sexual images of a minor. Use the platform's image-abuse reporting route and contact the police about sexual exploitation, threats or blackmail. Do not assume fake content makes the situation less serious.
Read the first-hour checklistThe first hour
The first hour matters, but it does not have to be perfect. These steps follow an order that usually helps. You do not have to do all of them, and you do not have to do them alone. Immediate danger or suspected exploitation needs the authorities first.
The instinct is to delete everything, confront someone, or take the phone away. All three can make things harder. Take a breath and work out what is happening before you change anything. If someone is in immediate danger, contact emergency services first.
Record non-explicit messages, profiles, usernames, dates, times and links. Save these somewhere outside the app. Do not download, screenshot or forward sexual images of anyone under 18, including fabricated images. Record where the content is and ask the police how to preserve it.
Capture safe evidence if you can, then block or restrict. You do not have to remain in an unsafe conversation to build a perfect record. If the police are already involved, follow their guidance on handling the account.
Change passwords from a device you trust, sign out other sessions, remove unknown linked devices and apps, and switch on multi-factor authentication. Check the recovery email and phone number. Secure the email account first if it controls recovery for other accounts.
Paying a blackmailer or sending one more image does not guarantee the threats will stop and can lead to further demands. Stop responding and get support. If you have already paid, you still deserve help — tell a trusted adult and the police.
A parent, carer, teacher, school counsellor or relative. If you are a young person reading this and the first adult does not react well, tell a second one. The goal is to stop carrying it alone.
Use the reporting route for harassment, impersonation or intimate image abuse, including routes specifically for minors. Keep the report reference or confirmation. Specialist services may also help limit the spread of an image.
Threats, sexual content involving a minor, extortion and stalking need prompt advice from the police or the appropriate child protection authority. Do not wait to finish this checklist. A young person being targeted deserves protection and support.
ObsidianCorps is a cybersecurity and training company. We are not the police, a legal practice, a medical service or a child protection authority. Immediate danger, credible threats, sexual content involving a minor and suspected criminal activity belong with the appropriate authorities. We help you understand what happened, preserve what can safely be recorded, secure what is exposed, and work out which door to knock on next.
Tell us what is happening and we will help you work out what to do next. Describe the situation without sending intimate images.
For young people
This part is for you. If someone online has scared you, pressured you, or has something of yours, here is the honest version.
Sending a photo, clicking a link, adding a stranger, lying about your age — none of that makes abuse your fault, and none of it means you have lost the right to help. Professionals who deal with this have seen it before. You do not need to protect them from the story.
No more images, money, gift cards, passwords or personal details. Sending one more can lead to another demand. Stopping does not guarantee the person will stop threatening you, so get someone you trust involved.
A parent, an older sibling, a teacher, a school counsellor, a coach. If the first one reacts badly, tell a second. You can also contact a confidential youth helpline first if you want to talk it through before deciding who to tell.
Save non-explicit threats, usernames, profile links and dates. Do not make copies of sexual images of anyone under 18. You do not need to read everything again or investigate the person yourself. A trusted adult or the police can help.
Once you have a safe record, block them and report the account. If staying in contact is frightening or unsafe, block straight away. If they come back on a new profile, save the account details, block and report again, and tell the adult helping you.
Change your passwords, turn on two-factor authentication, and check which devices are logged in. If you reused a password anywhere else, change it there too. Check your recovery email and phone number.
It rarely starts with a demand. It starts with attention, compliments, shared jokes, small favours. By the time something is asked of you, it can feel like you owe it to them. That is a manipulation technique — not a sign that you were careless.
Someone can be funny, kind, endlessly available, and still not be who they say they are. Ask yourself what they want, not just how they make you feel.
If someone online tells you not to tell your parents, your friends or anyone else about pressure, gifts or sexual requests, that is a warning sign. You are allowed to tell someone, even if you promised not to.
People who do this may be counting on you being too embarrassed to tell anyone. You deserve help now. You do not need to have the whole story worked out before asking.
Find confidential helpFor parents and carers
Most parents we speak to are not short on care — they are short on a clear next step, and worried about making it worse. These are the things that make the biggest difference.
Whatever you feel, the first thirty seconds matter. “Thank you for telling me, we will sort this out” keeps the channel open. Shock, anger or blame can close it just when you need to understand the situation.
Who, which platform, how long, what has been sent, what has been threatened. Ask calmly and without cross-examining. You are working out what you are dealing with, not gathering proof of wrongdoing.
There may be a conversation to have about choices later. Having it in the middle of a live incident can cost you the information and trust you need to help.
It can feel like punishment for telling the truth. Restricting or changing how a device is used may be reasonable later — explain the safety reasons and make the decision together where possible.
“You are not in trouble for telling me, and I am not going to stop loving you over this.” Children may assume the opposite and stay silent because of it.
Monitoring everything a child does online does not scale, and can make them less willing to tell you when something goes wrong. Communication, awareness, resilience and a few well-chosen technical safeguards give you a more sustainable foundation. Agree boundaries together, explain the reasons, and keep a clear route to asking for help.
Discord servers, in-game voice chat, disappearing messages, close-friends lists and DM requests behave differently. You need to know where private contact with strangers is possible. Ask your child to show you; let them be the expert for ten minutes.
Use a different password for each important account, stored in a password manager. Enable multi-factor authentication on email and the main gaming and social accounts. Email matters most because it controls recovery for so many other accounts.
Private profiles, restricted friend requests, DMs limited to known contacts, tagging and comment controls. Doing this side by side teaches far more than doing it for them and gives you a chance to discuss why each setting matters.
Check which apps share live location and with whom, whether photo geotagging is on, and whether map-app “friends” are actually friends. Uniforms, street signs and house numbers in photos can reveal a location too.
Old accounts, public photos and forgotten profiles can be used for impersonation and AI-generated fakes. A periodic clear-out is a useful joint project rather than an inspection.
Make a plan: if an image ever gets out, here is what we do, and here is what I will not do — I will not shout, and I will not blame you. Give your child a clear invitation to ask for help.
Flattery, urgency, secrecy, gradual escalation, “prove you trust me”. Giving these patterns names helps young people recognise pressure and talk about it.
Convincing fake images and voices can be made from ordinary public photos and recordings. Discussing this in advance can make it easier for a young person to say “this is fake” and ask for support.
For schools and organisations
Practical, interactive sessions for parents, children, teenagers, schools and organisations. Built around real cases and decisions, and adapted to the age group and what the audience is actually worried about.
What the platforms your children use actually do, where private contact with strangers is possible, and which risks are worth your attention. Warning signs, privacy and account protection, conversations that get answered, and the first hour when something goes wrong.
Request a workshopAge-appropriate sessions on privacy, strangers online, gaming, passwords, safe sharing and cyberbullying. The part that matters most: how and when to ask an adult for help. Concrete and calm, without frightening anyone.
Request a workshopSocial engineering, manipulation, sextortion, online relationships, scams, account security, AI-generated content, digital footprints and recognising coercion. Scenarios and discussion, on the assumption that teenagers already know more than adults expect.
Request a workshopOnline bullying dynamics, bystanders and group chats, safe evidence preservation, effective reporting, when and how the school should be involved, and supporting someone who is being targeted.
Request a workshopHow sextortion develops, the tactics behind it, warning signs, what a young person should do in the moment, and how parents can respond. Run separately for young people and for adults.
Request a workshopHow generative AI changes impersonation, fabricated images, voice cloning, scams, social engineering, bullying and exploitation. What is now possible and what that means practically for a family or a school.
Request a workshopTell us the age group, preferred language and the situation you are dealing with.
A clear plan when things go wrong
In a digital safety incident, the hardest part is often knowing what is happening and what order to do things in. That is where we help families, schools and organisations.
Reconstructing events from the messages, accounts and devices involved, so decisions are based on what occurred rather than on what it felt like.
A clear, ordered plan: what to do now, what to do today, what to do this week, and what can wait.
What is still exposed, what could escalate, and what a motivated person could still find or do with the available information.
Recovering compromised accounts in the right order, closing the routes back in, and hardening what remains.
What can safely be captured, how to keep it useful, and when to ask the authorities to handle sensitive material. Guidance suited to a family, not a forensics lab.
Which reporting route fits the content, what to include, and what to expect from the response.
A clear written timeline that a school, a lawyer or the police can read and act on without the story being retold each time.
Help with incidents involving pupils or members: containment, internal communication, parent communication and follow-up.
Recognising when a situation needs law enforcement, legal advice, psychological support, medical care or a child protection authority, and helping you reach the right service.
ObsidianCorps is a cybersecurity, training and advisory company. We are not law enforcement, a law firm, a psychological or medical service, an emergency service or a child protection authority. Nothing we provide replaces them. In serious cases we work alongside those services: helping you understand the technical and behavioural side, preserving what can safely be recorded, and making sure the right specialists are involved.
Keep learning
We are building a library of short, practical guidance on these topics. If you need something you cannot find here, tell us and we will point you to it.
Recognising it, documenting it, reporting it, and supporting someone who is being targeted.
How it develops, why paying is unsafe, and what to do in the first hour.
Online manipulation patterns and the signs that may be visible from the outside.
Privacy settings, contact controls and what different platforms expose.
Voice chat, Discord, in-game scams, account theft and who else is in the lobby.
Password managers, multi-factor authentication and compromised-account recovery.
What is public, what can be inferred, and how to reduce both.
Fabricated images and voices: what is possible and how to respond.
What old accounts, public photos and tagged posts reveal.
Conversation starters, device setup, and reacting well when something goes wrong.
Manipulation, pressure, privacy and asking for help, written for young people.
Incident response, staff awareness and parent information evenings.
Dedicated articles are being added. In the meantime, our blog covers related security topics, and we are happy to answer a specific question directly.
Read the blogOur approach
Digital threats against children are rarely purely technical. A sextortion case combines manipulation with demands for payment or images. Cyberbullying combines group dynamics with messaging platforms. A useful response brings the technology and the human situation together.
How platforms, accounts, devices and data work, and where the real exposure sits.
Why manipulation works, why people stay silent, and how a response can help or make things harder.
Pretexting, trust-building, urgency and escalation — the tactics we study in corporate security, applied to a younger target.
Account recovery, safe evidence handling, containment and hardening, in an order that preserves what is needed.
How conversations between a child, a parent and a school determine whether concerns are reported and acted on.
Sequencing decisions under pressure, with incomplete information, when people are frightened.
This is the same multidisciplinary approach we apply to organisations facing crisis situations. The stakes are simply more personal.
FAQ
Short, direct answers to the questions families ask us most.
Ask us about your situationListen calmly and thank them for telling you. Record non-explicit messages, usernames, links and dates, then report and block or restrict contact. Involve the school if pupils are involved. Seek police advice about threats or stalking, and use emergency services for immediate danger.
Do not pay, negotiate or send more images. Reassure your child and contact the police promptly. Preserve threats and account details without downloading, screenshotting or forwarding sexual images of a minor. Report the account and seek specialist help with removal.
Avoid deleting chats or accounts before safe evidence has been recorded. Keep non-explicit messages, usernames, links and dates. Do not create copies of sexual images involving anyone under 18; ask the police how to handle the original material.
Usually yes, after recording safe evidence if possible. You do not have to stay in an unsafe or distressing conversation to get a perfect record. If the police are already involved, follow their advice. Report new accounts used to continue the contact.
No. Payment does not guarantee removal or an end to threats and can lead to more demands. Stop responding and get help from a trusted adult and the police. If you have already paid, you still deserve support.
Contact the police promptly for extortion, credible threats, stalking, suspected sexual abuse or exploitation, or sexual content involving a minor. In Luxembourg, 113 is the police emergency number; for a non-emergency report or advice, contact a local police station. Call 112 for a medical or rescue emergency.
Start with reassurance, not interrogation. Say they will not be punished for asking for help. Offer another trusted adult, a school counsellor or a confidential youth helpline. Keep the invitation open. If you suspect immediate danger or exploitation, seek professional help promptly.
Yes. Images can be manipulated or generated from ordinary photos. Support the young person, record URLs and account details without circulating the material, and report it to the platform. Sexual exploitation, threats and blackmail need police involvement even when the image is fabricated.
Look for a pattern of secrecy, unusual gifts, intense attention, pressure to move to private apps, sexual requests or isolation from trusted people. These signs do not prove grooming on their own. Talk calmly and seek advice; suspected abuse or exploitation belongs with the authorities.
Use unique passwords in a password manager, enable multi-factor authentication, and review logged-in devices and recovery details. Secure email first. Review profile visibility, direct messages, tagging and location sharing together.
Yes. We run practical sessions for pupils, parents and staff, adapted to the age group and the issues the school is dealing with. Sessions can be delivered in English, French, German or Italian, on site or remotely. Contact us to discuss the audience and format.
Yes. Digital Safety for Parents is designed for parents and carers. Some topics, including sextortion and online manipulation, are delivered separately for adults and young people so the discussion fits each group.
Yes. We can help reconstruct events, assess digital exposure, secure accounts, structure safe evidence preservation and reporting, and plan next steps. We are a cybersecurity, training and advisory company. We do not replace emergency services, police, legal advice, medical care or child protection authorities.
Let's work out the next step
Whether you are dealing with something right now, or want a workshop for parents, teenagers or a school, we are happy to talk it through first.
No obligation. If the right answer is another organisation, we will say so.
At Obsidiancorps, we fuse innovative technology with trusted security practices to create tailored solutions that protect and elevate your business. Reach out and let's secure a brighter future together.
Differdange, Luxembourg
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