Gavin Guffey, 17, died by suicide in 2022 after becoming the victim of a sextortion plot on Instagram. (Brandon Guffey)
SOUTH CAROLINA LAWMAKER EXPOSES DANGERS OF 'SEXTORTION' AFTER TEENAGE SON'S SUICIDE
In his testimony, a visibly emotional Guffey recounted the night his son took his own life and the fallout.
A scammer posing as a girl convinced Gavin to turn on "vanish mode" and send explicit photos in an Instagram chat. "Vanish mode" allows messages to disappear once they are received. The scammer then threatened to release the photos unless he received money from Gavin, who sent the online predator $25, saying it was all he had in his account. This wasn’t enough for the scammer, who continued to demand more money. Tragically, Gavin took his own life as a result.
The predator, however, was not done with the Guffey family. The state lawmaker told the committee that the scammer proceeded to harass himself, his son and his teen cousin. Guffey says this is because Meta took down the account that tormented his son Gavin and left the rest of the scammer’s accounts up.
South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey, holds a picture of his son Gavin Guffey, 17, who died by suicide after being entrapped in a sexual extortion scam on Instagram, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis," in Dirksen building on Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2024. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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Guffey is demanding lawmakers take action on Section 230, which he believes will "go down as one of the greatest disasters."
Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act distinguishes Big Tech platforms from those that would be treated as a "publisher." This absolves online platforms of legal liability for what users post.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle discussed the need for legislation to create new industry standards for Big Tech aimed at protecting America’s children.
While Guffey is advocating for federal legislation, he is also calling for a cultural shift.
"I believe that in this country we’ve lost grace, and we have too often kicked people for the mistakes that they make, and we tell our kids that ‘everything you do online will stay with you forever.’ Well, imagine if you just took your darkest moment and posted it online," Guffey said to the committee.
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The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) says it received more than 26,710 reports of financial sextortion in 2023. NCMEC says it has seen "an overwhelming increase in reports of sextortion from children and teens." The center advises parents to talk to their kids about the dangers of sextortion, but also to let them know that they need to get help and not immediately pay or comply with the blackmailer.
Rachel Wolf is a breaking news writer for Fox News Digital and FOX Business.
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/lawmaker-who-lost-son-suicide-warns-senate-big-tech-big-tobacco-generation