This column discusses suicide and suicidal ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org

Kids here in Ohio and around the nation are being groomed, bullied and lured into sending sexual photos that are then used for blackmail and extortion.

I know this firsthand.

Since my beautiful 17-year-old son, James, took his own life in 2022 after merciless online torture, I’ve heard hundreds of stories like his and have met parents like me.

What happened to my son could be happening to your child as you read this.

A day that started for my family with laughter, college plans and joy ended with us finding our child dead in our home.

James had everything to live for, but in those final moments, he felt he had no other choice.

Criminals bombarded him for nearly 20 hours with almost 200 messages attacking, threatening and terrorizing him. He begged to be left alone.

Their response: “I am more determined to rot your life than to make it a waste, a trash can, a shame, a dishonor, a hell, a real disaster, a hell on earth." And: "You should just kill yourself."

Parents all over the country are begging for a way to protect their kids from these and other predators online. Meta and other social media companies could do a lot to stop this behavior.

Instead, they’ve spent........

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