Australian father of teen sextortion victim backs banning young children from social media

Associated Press

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Wayne Holdsworth became an advocate for banning Australian children younger than 16 from social media because his son took his own life after falling victim to an online sextortion scam. Mac Holdsworth died last year at his Melbourne family home after a man who purported to be an 18-year-old woman demanded money for an intimate image the boy had shared. Since then, the grieving father has taken his tragic story to around 20 schools to warn students of the risks of social media. Holdsworth describes the government plan to ban children younger than 16 from social media as “absolutely essential for the safety of our children.” But not all parents are convinced that banning young children from social media is the answer.