S.C. lawmaker suing Meta after sextortion leads to son’s suicide

CHARLOTTE — A South Carolina lawmaker who has been leading the fight against sextortion following his son’s death is now taking on a social media giant.

South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey is suing Meta, saying the company’s platforms are harmful to children and aren’t being held accountable.

Channel 9 has reported on Guffey’s battle since his son, Gavin, became a victim of sextortion. Scammers targeted Gavin and began extorting him, threatening to share nude images to hurt Guffey’s political career.

Gavin, who was 18 at the time, died by suicide after the threats.

Then, two weeks after Gavin’s funeral, Guffey received a message on Instagram from an unknown account with a laughing emoji. Guffey said family members on Gavin’s followers list received similar messages.

Guffey said one of the messages read, “Did I tell you your son begged for his life?”

Since then, Guffey has led the charge against sextortion - a bill he introduced was passed into law last year, and it increases penalties for anyone trying to extort someone over their intimate photos or data.

Now, Guffey’s suing the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, saying their algorithms keep users “scrolling in an induced flow state,” CNN reported. Guffey says the companies don’t provide answers for parents whose children die by suicide after sextortion.

The social media company is facing similar lawsuits from local school districts, which say the platforms have impacted students’ mental health.

Meta sent a statement to CNN saying it has tools to ensure teens are safe and support parents.

“We encourage teens and adults to report suspicious content, activity, or accounts to us if they feel unsafe, and we reach out to law enforcement in cases of imminent harm,” Meta said in a statement.

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Sextortion schemes on the rise as artificial intelligence advances

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