If you or someone you know is considering suicide, call or text the three-digit suicide and crisis lifeline at 988. Resources are also available online here.
Wisconsin has taken a definitive step against the rising menace of sextortion, targeting young individuals with a newly enacted law. This legislation is an effort to curb the coercive crime that has increasingly become a threat online.
Governor Tony Evers has signed into law a measure that classifies sextortion as a crime involving coercion for sexual images or favors, or threats to disseminate such images in return for money or services. The law intensifies penalties if the victim is a minor and the offender is significantly older, or if the extortion results in success. It also allows for murder charges if sextortion contributes to a suicide.
Named “Bradyn’s Law,” this legislation memorializes Bradyn Bohn, a young victim who took his life earlier this year due to such a scam. His parents, Brittney and Luke Bird, shared their emotional journey at the bill’s signing, emphasizing their commitment to preventing similar tragedies.
“I have hope that we will take back control from these criminals and our children will no longer be pawns in their sick games,” stated Brittney Bird. “The passing of Bradyn’s Law, to me, is perseverance and proof that we will fight for our children until the day that we join them again.”
With the backing of bipartisan lawmakers, Bradyn’s Law responds to the escalating threat posed by sextortion schemes. Typically, these scams involve predators posing as peers to solicit intimate content, subsequently threatening to release it unless paid.
Emily Slifer, policy director at Thorn, a nonprofit focused on combating online child sexual abuse, remarked, “Sextortion represents one of the most urgent and widespread online harms that we’re seeing today. This is one of those crime areas that unfortunately has grown at a rapid pace in the past two to three years, and it includes a lot of financially-motivated and sadistic schemes.”
Between October 2021 and March 2023, the FBI received over 13,000 reports related to financial sextortion, predominantly affecting boys. Thorn’s research indicates that approximately one in seven young individuals targeted by sextortion attempts self-harm, and the FBI has linked at least 20 suicides to financial sextortion incidents.
The evolution of cybercrime, targeting vulnerable youth, aligns with this disturbing trend, according to Slifer. She highlighted that those engaged in such crimes are “extremely technologically savvy and are always evolving and following new trends … to further exploit and abuse.”
Wisconsin joins other states, like South Carolina, which enacted “Gavin’s Law” in 2023 to criminalize sextortion following a similar tragedy involving a young victim.
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has formed an Internet Crimes against Children Task Force, providing resources for addressing these crimes.
Slifer’s nonprofit advises parents to maintain open dialogues with their children about online risks, ensuring they know they won’t be punished for seeking help.
The Wisconsin DOJ offers these guidelines for responding to online exploitation:
- Report the crime to law enforcement or at Report.CyberTip.org.
- Remember, it’s not your fault.
- Even if you made a choice you regret, it’s never too late to get help.
- Tell a parent or trusted adult right away.
- Do not pay money or comply with the blackmailer’s requests.
- Report the account through the platform’s safety feature.
- Block the suspect, but DO NOT DELETE the messages or your profile.
