Teen Commits Suicide After Online Predatory Bullying
Meet Eli H., a typical happy go lucky 16-year-old high student from Kentucky in the USA. He played tennis and told “dad jokes”. By all account he was happy and well liked by his peers and friends.
But all that changed on 28 February in the space of 1 hour. He became the target of online predators in an alleged sextortion scheme.
What is sextortion? This where the predator uses photos copied from social media sites to create AI-generated, sexually explicit photos of the victim and threatens to release them if a sum of money is not paid within a deadline.
Eli was the victim of such a scam, and the predator demanded $3,000 not to release these fake photos. To Eli there was no way out other than to take his own life.
Local authorities say that this is a growing concern and in 2023 there were 26,718 cases reported in the USA alone.
Your children are at risk every time they open an app, log onto a device, or search something online.
Today most tweens (9-12 year olds) and teens (13-19 year olds) have access to a smart phone, a tablet or a laptop. These devices have become essential tools in their school education. But how protected are your children from unwanted approaches from predators and groomers on the dark web.
A 2021 US study found that one in six children had been a victim of online child sexual abuse before the age of 18. An this in most cases was while the parent was in the next room.
The statistics are alarming:
• 67% of tweens and 76% of teens have experienced cyberbullying as the bully, the victim or a witness.1
• 58% of tweens and 75% of teens have encountered nudity or content of a sexual nature.1
• 58% of tweens and 77% of teens have engaged in conversations about drugs or alcohol.1
• 68% of tweens and 82% of teens have expressed or experienced violent subject matter.1
• Tweens and teens are increasingly exposed online to stress, anxiety, depression and eating disorders.1
• 8% of tweens and 10% of teens have encountered predatory behaviors from someone online.1