Australian Father of Teen Sextortion Victim Backs Banning Young Children From Social Media
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In this Associated Press wire story, reporter Rod McGuirk profiles Wayne Holdsworth days after Australia's House of Representatives voted to ban children under 16 from social media. Holdsworth tells McGuirk that his son Mac died by suicide after being sexually extorted online, and that he has since spoken at roughly 20 schools to about 3,000 students aged 12 to 17 about the risks. He says most students he addresses support the proposed ban and that some have separately disclosed being targeted by sextortion themselves, including one who had already paid a blackmailer thousands of dollars. The story also outlines objections raised by critics, including digital-rights advocates and at least one lawmaker, who argued the bill was rushed and could isolate vulnerable children. TechKids Foundation includes this as international wire coverage naming Holdsworth as a public advocate for the law.
Number of students Holdsworth said he had addressed across roughly 20 Australian schools, as reported in this Nov. 2024 AP story.
Penalty the bill nearing Senate passage would impose on platforms for systemic failures to prevent under-16 accounts, per this AP story.
McGuirk, Rod. "Australian Father of Teen Sextortion Victim Backs Banning Young Children From Social Media." Associated Press, Nov. 27, 2024. https://apnews.com/article/australia-social-media-ban-young-children-c08c470b33f115fb07fc86874bf1b768