One Australian father is marking the one-year anniversary of his son’s death with a campaign to draw attention to the dangers of social media and the benefits of unplugging.
Unplug 24 is an initiative launched by Wayne Holdsworth that encourages Aussies to switch off social media for 24 hours on 24 October – the day, one year ago, when 17-year-old Mac Holdsworth took his own life. Mac had been facing sextortion – when a blackmailer threatens to release explicit images of the victim – on Snapchat. This type of social media scam is increasing rapidly in many parts of the world, with teenage boys around Mac’s age the most common victims.
The campaign is also nearly halfway to its fundraising goal, with money that will go toward raising awareness and preventing deaths like Mac’s in the future.
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Last year, a 45-year-old man posing as a 15-year-old girl targeted Mac, using nearly nude images of his own niece to entice the teenager into sending explicit images of himself. The man then threatened to send the images to Mac’s contacts, many of them publicly listed or available to friends on the app, unless he was paid AU$500. Payment only brought more demands and the images were released. Wayne blames the platform for not doing more to protect his son and other teenagers from what he describes to Australian news outlets as “terrorists.”
Advocacy groups like the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) are pushing for all social platforms, as well as app stores, to do more to protect minors from sextortion, grooming and other crimes.
Advocates also recommend educating children and teenagers about the potential dangers of social media and making sure they feel comfortable turning to a trusted adult for help. Incidents should be reported to both the platform and to law enforcement.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a mental health crisis or having thoughts of suicide, call the Caritas-Life Hope Hotline of Macao. English and Portuguese-language services can be reached on 2852 5777 and operate from 2 pm to 11 pm, Sunday to Tuesday, and from 9 am to 6 pm, Thursday to Saturday. It is closed on Wednesdays and public holidays. Chinese-language services operate 24/7 on 2852 5222. In an emergency, call 999, 110 or 112.
