Roanoke, Va. (WDBJ) – Here @ Home tackled tough conversations about teens, mental health and sexual exploitation in an interview on Tuesday.

Nancy Hans of the Roanoke Prevention Council and Katie Nance, a Roanoke County school counselor, described an increase in depression and anxiety among students and families.

They attribute these increases to phones, social media, and pandemics.

Later in the show, Hans and Nance talked more about a new term known as sextortion.

Sextortion is a form of blackmail in which a predator demands money, sexual favors, or explicit photos and threatens to release previously shared sexual content or other information if the demands are not met.

Hans says you can keep this from happening in your home by talking to your kids and limiting cell phones and social media apps.

Nance explained that this is already an issue among families in our area, and referred to the documentary Sextortion, which focuses on incidents that happened in our area.

Events are planned to help parents continue conversations about these difficult topics at home.

Roanoke County Schools will host a Teen Mental Health presentation at Northside High School on Monday, September 19 from 6:00pm to 7:00pm.

Additionally, the documentary Sextortion: The Hidden Pandemic will premiere at the Grandin Theater on September 29th.

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