u/Confident_Sign_8937

I was being really dumb and got caught in a sextortion scam on TikTok, and I’m really stressed and not sure what to do next. It started when someone added me and pretended to be a girl. At first, I sent images that were not explicit, but after that, it escalated into blackmail and threats. They then sent back the pictures, making them explicit. They are now saying they will send the images to people on my TikTok followers/following list unless I pay them. Out of panic, I already sent about $200 worth of gift cards, but they are still demanding an additional $50 by tomorrow and are using deadlines and threats to pressure me. (Really dumb for sending them money, I know) They claim they have screenshots of my followers list, so even if I make my account private or deactivate it, they could still DM people individually. I have already filed an IC3 report, filed a StopNCII report, and reported the account on TikTok, but I feel stuck because if I disengage or block them, they threaten to immediately leak everything, and if I keep responding, they just escalate and keep demanding more money. I don’t know how often scammers actually follow through on these threats or what the best next step is from here, especially since they already have my followers list. Any advice would really help.

(18M) I started focusing on self-improvement about two years ago. Over that time, I’ve been consistent in the gym (about a year and a half now) and gained around 20 pounds of lean mass, and I’ve also improved things like my skincare and overall habits.

About two months ago, I decided to quit porn and masturbation because I realized I was using them as a way to cope with stress and loneliness. Since then, I’ve noticed some positives. I feel more confident, I’m less anxious around people, and I’m starting to get better at small interactions in public.

But at the same time, I’ve been dealing with something I didn’t expect. I feel a much stronger sense of loneliness and isolation, especially when it comes to relationships. Before, I think porn and masturbation were giving me a fake sense of comfort or connection, and now that I’ve stopped, I feel like I’m facing that emptiness more directly.

Even though I’m trying to talk to people more and put myself out there (I have friends who have helped me through mental struggles), I still feel disconnected, and it’s been affecting my mental health in a pretty heavy way lately. I've been developing suicidal thoughts lately, and it's made my problems with loneliness worse than when it started. I even planned out taking my own life recently, and this post was meant to help me seek some kind of help since I've tried other ways to try and get help, which failed.

I’ve also been worried about the idea of going back to masturbation at all. Part of me feels like if I do, I might fall back into porn and the addiction cycle again, since they were always linked for me in the past. That fear has made me hesitant even to consider it as an option.

I want to keep improving myself, develop a real relationship with a woman that I will love, and stay away from porn as a coping mechanism, but I’m not sure how to deal with this loneliness in a healthy way or how to handle the fear of relapse.