> The family began piecing together Gavin’s last moments and discovered he had encountered a scammer on Instagram and unwittingly became a victim of sexual extortion, a crime the FBI warns is increasingly targeting underage boys and leading to an alarming increase in suicides nationwide.
Meta shouldn't be liable for this. The sexual exploitation scammers should be.
Meta and other platforms of a certain MAU threshold should implement standardized protections and work with law enforcement to stop this type of activity.
This is the correct response:
> Since then, Guffey has been outspoken about his son’s death and sponsored legislation last year that makes sexual extortion an aggravated felony punishable by years in prison if the victim is a minor or vulnerable adult or if the victim suffers bodily injury or death directly related to the crime.
While we need to have strong protections for free speech, anyone who knowingly coerces or bullies someone in a sexually exploitative way or in a way that they know could lead to suicide should be held accountable to an extent. If there is money or blackmail involved, then the penalties should increase dramatically.
I recall the many cases of the Kiwi Forums website bullying folks into committing suicide. They know what they're doing is wrong. While it might not be blackmail, this is a form of free speech that can kill people and we need to have a frank discussion about it. Even if we don't legislate it, we need to create social awareness and a safety net for folks. Suicide resulting from this is a wanton and needless tragedy.
> Between October 2021 and March 2023, federal officials received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion of minors, which led to at least 20 suicides, the FBI said last week.
Parents also need to educate their children about this and let them know they're safe, loved, and that there is no shame in living life.