A South Carolina mother is suing Snapchat after her 13-year-old son died by suicide last year.
The family says young Timothy Barnett took his own life April 6, 2023, at his Sumter home after he fell victim to a sextortion scheme on the social media app.
“On April 6 … it was a typical morning,” Betsy Hauptman, Timothy’s mother, told Fox News Digital. “My husband and I were waking up. The alarm went off at about 6:15. My husband got up first. He walked out the door. I was in the bathroom, and I got a phone call, and my husband’s like, ‘Hey, do me a favor, lock the door. Make sure the doors are all locked, and check on the kids.'”
Initially, Hauptman’s husband — Timothy’s stepfather — thought “someone was sleeping in the yard” but later realized it was Timothy.
The FBI received more than 13,000 reports of online financial sextortion between October 2021 and March 2023
Video here in the article also details Meta rolling out new tools to fight this after another family loses their son over it.
This is heart wrenching and should be a wake up call for all parents to not only monitor their kids’ devices, but to keep them engaged or someone else will. I remind my kids frequently that there is nothing they can’t come and talk to me or their mom about; we’re always here for them and there is no problem so horrible that the only solution is suicide.
…… “We have zero tolerance for predators abusing young people on Snapchat and are working constantly to fight this horrific activity.”
Predators? Horrific activity? How do we suppose that child got himself into that situation to begin with? Do we want to talk about that? Are we human beings here or no? Of course not, because the narrative pushed by RAINN is that all children are so innocent and fragile and need protected from any encounters involving their precious pp’s, right? Look, I know I’m a slim minority, but adults and parents alike need to stop treating children and teens as though they aren’t sexual beings with any sexual motives at all. If this type of awful situation is to ever stop, then education needs to include facts about sexuality and most importantly arousal! In my “sex Ed” (5th grade, so 10 or 11 yrs old), not one single time did anyone talk about masturbation, the word never even came up. Even at the time I thought it was strange that noone mentioned the activity I engaged in at every single moment I could get myself alone. I had no clue it was actually sexual activity. Not once did anyone say that sex was intriguing, pleasurable or anything that shattered any mystery surrounding what was going on in my pants. Not once did anyone explain why things could be bad or how jealousy played a role or anything of the matter. No sir! That’s all taboo and forbidden. Instead everything was based on the technical scientific understanding of intercourse and the explanation of how pregnancy occurs. Today I look back on that and ask myself why wouldn’t anyone explain to me that yes sex is and can be extremely pleasurable, that yes some people are interested in what other people look like naked, it’s normal and natural however it’s not always wanted and that’s ok too. These kids (and perhaps parents themselves) also need to understand that sexual activity is not the end of the world. The shame associated with anything sexual seems rooted in granite never to be let go of until their 18th birthday. This is the narrative that fosters law enforcement and law makers to such extreme measures. So if these kids find themselves in such a situation they should have the decision making knowledge of what to say or do to stop it if it’s unwanted…. I say “if it’s unwanted” as I’m not condoning the promotion of sexual activity by children but rather making the point that there needs to be a different way of handling these issues. Perhaps then when they get older they can view such experiences in a different light than being a victim and allowing the those around them to constantly remind them that they’re a victim and the reason their life is messed up is because of some sexual encounter at a young age but that might be a discussion of accountability which is something else never mentioned…. Well, unless a 12 yr old murders someone, then their accountable. 🙄
So snapchat was the culprit not the people using it to committing “sextortion” (which is just extortion with a scarier name so politicians can use it to help pass unconstitutional laws) let’s not blame the actual culprits let’s blame sexchat i mean snapchat good job jackasses im gonna sue sugar manufacturers because my kid got diabetes great what other idiotic shit will people think of the most fucked up thing is they’ll probably win and social media companies will have an excuse to violate free speech and privacy even more suicide is a personal decision that falls under my body my choice by the way
Not sure how Snapchat is actually responsible for what happened. The idea that Snapchat can actually prevent someone from getting a kid to agree to begin the sextortion process by taking a selfie in exchange for something the kid wants is insanity.
Social Media can’t keep your kid from being dumb.
Tweet: Hi friend!
Snapchat: All my friends send me selfies
Instagram: I might need to send some money to a friend. Have to wait and see.
Tweet: Just got back from Whole Foods. I don’t mind paying more for good stuff.
Snapchat: My friend’s videos are really good stuff
Instagram: Comedy is cool, but I really like action movies! Know what I mean?
Tweet: Always willing to pay what it takes to get the best stuff, at Whole Foods…or wherever.
Stop that…