Six hours. That’s the amount of time between when 17-year-old Jordan DeMay received a message from a flirty stranger on Instagram and when he took his own life.
He thought he was speaking with an attractive girl his age. When she suggested they trade sexually explicit photos, he quickly complied. The conversation immediately shifted. The “girl” was a group of Nigerian cybercriminals who proceeded to blackmail Jordan and threaten his family.
When he told them he was intent on killing himself, they replied: “Good. Do that fast, or I’ll make you do it. I swear to God.”
Now, a new landmark ruling may make a difference for kids like Jordan, forever altering the landscape of social media.
On March 25, a jury found Meta and Google liable for $6 million in damages in a landmark trial over allegations that their popular social media apps, including Instagram and YouTube, are designed to get children addicted.
