A mother has issued a warning after her 14-year-old son became the victim of online sexual exploitation in the space of 15 minutes.

The teenager, from Glasgow, was targeted by a woman on Facebook who threatened to share explicit images of him if he did not pay her £500.

His mother Kerry, whose name we have changed to protect their identities, spoke exclusively to STV News about the anguish this has caused.

She said: "Within ten, 15 minutes, our lives changed. My son came in, in a terrible state.

"I asked him what was wrong. He then began to tell me that a female had sent a friend request on Facebook. He added her.

"Very quickly after that, it became a bit sexual."

Kerry's son was enticed into sending explicit photos and videos of himself to the woman on Monday. The blackmail plot began minutes later.

"If he didn't want it exposed, then he was to do what she asked. She then became quite threatening.

"What she wanted was £500, or the video would be released."

Police Scotland are investigating after the online threats were made to Kerry's son on Monday.

She said the ordeal has placed emotional strain on her family.

"He was quite withdrawn for the first few days. It is obviously something I've had to keep my eye on.

"It is devastating for the whole family, you just don't think that this is going to happen in your home."

According to the National Crime Agency, 'sextortion' crimes like this have risen threefold across the UK since 2015.

After a Scottish teenager took his own life in 2013, it emerged he'd been the victim of a crime gang in the Philippines.

Last March, Dutch national Aydin Coban was jailed for a complex online extortion scam which involved exploiting 34 young girls across the world, including in Scotland.

Earlier this year Sean McCuaig was sentenced to three years in prison for targeting nine girls - aged between 12 and 17 - using a string of fake social media profiles.

Joanne Smith, public affairs officer of the NSPCC, said online sexual exploitation is "the number one child safety concern in the 21st century."

She continued: "In 2016-17, Childline received 2100 calls relating to online child sexual exploitation - that was a 44% increase on the previous year.

"We are also seeing a self-harming and suicidal thoughts, often related to children's experiences in the online world."

Ms Smith added: "We know that police and the National Crime Agency are doing some really important work to tackle the problem.

"But government need to do far more to better protect children to make sure online child safety is a political priority."

As the investigation into her child's experience continues, Kerry said she has spoken out in the hope that other families do not go through what hers has experienced this past week.

She said: "There's got to be a message that gets out there.

"This is real. This is happening to our kids - now. People need to know."

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this story, you can access help and support through the National Crime Agency and NSPCC.