United States | News & Politics

This is entirely the extortionists fault, so don’t think I’m saying otherwise. I can’t help but feel these boys wouldn’t be driven to suicide if it weren’t for such toxic views of sexuality in our society.

It was the same way when I was a boy. You’re basically taught by society, media, religion, and often your parents, that masturbation (particularly for men) is disgusting and harmful. Or that having your nudes leaked is shameful. It’s shameful for the person who leaked them, but not at all shameful for the subject. They’re a victim. That’s not shameful.

Honestly, caution about this kind of scam online needs to be part of education from an early age in the modern world. You simply can't trust young kids to figure things out on their own when the stakes are potentially this high. Yes, you should be immediately suspicious at a private message out of the blue from someone you don't know. Always assume the worst. Sure, it's an incredibly harsh worldview, but it's no different than the "never talk to strangers" we already teach.

What horrible people. Hearing their callous disregard for their victims is infuriating.

Wait till you learn about what happens to girls online