He was a normal and happy 17 year old until one cold day in February, he received a request for a message from an attractive young woman on Snapchat. She forced him to send a clear picture. In a few minutes he was blackmailed and within three hours he committed suicide. “I feel like he was killed,” said Derek Leeds, Daniel’s father, as tears rolled down his cheeks. Lints and his wife, Jill, say they are dealing with an inconceivable tragedy. Daniel, popularly known as Danny, has fallen victim to a growing global campaign that targets adolescent boys. Derek Lints wipes his tears as he talks about his son Danny at his home in Pilot Mound, Man. (John Woods / The Canadian Press) “I know Danny would have made a difference in this world,” says Jill Leeds as she sits at the family kitchen table in Pilot Mound, Mann, 180 miles (180 km) southwest of Winnipeg. “He would have done good things and he already did good things. The world has lost a good man.”
The young are vulnerable
Police around the world have issued urgent warnings about blackmailing boys.
The trick is complicated, says Stephen Sauer, director of Cybertip.ca at the Canadian Center for Child Protection. Overseas-based organized crime networks feature young women on teens’ social media platforms, such as Snapchat and Instagram.
They approach teenagers and give them sexual attention quickly. Users take advantage of young boys’ level of development and impulsivity and rush to request an image or video, Sauer says.
Then the threats begin.
Jill and Derek Leeds hold a hockey jersey signed by the team in their son Daniel’s bedroom. (John Woods / The Canadian Press)
Sauer says anonymous users, knowing that there will be a sense of shame, say they will send the pictures to family and friends if the teens do not give them money.
“Young people are particularly vulnerable to this.” He says. “They are still developing a sense of self. They are still developing their identity and often engaging in sexual exploration.”
Many teens — like Danny — empty their bank accounts. But very often, when the blackmail continues, they commit suicide.
Where to ask for help
Visit the National Advice Line at Cybertip.ca, Canada to report cyberbullying, unauthorized distribution of personal images, or other forms of online child victimization. If you know of a child who is in immediate danger or danger, call 911 or the local police. The RCMP National Crime Center for Child Exploitation received a total of 52,306 complaints for the year 2020-21 – a 510 percent increase from seven years earlier. Experts have pointed to the increase in internet activity during the pandemic as a contributing factor. Cybertip, Canada’s online child abuse reporting advice, averaged 20 reports a month of this type of sexual exploitation in 2021. It jumped to 55 a month this year and rose further to 75 reports in May. Mountains from coast to coast have issued warnings. Calgary police warned earlier this month that it had had nearly 50 cases in that city alone since the beginning of the year. “We believe these crimes are not widely reported,” Staff Sgt. said Graeme Smiley. Police tell parents to talk to their children about cyberbullying. The RCMP says that any victim of sexual exploitation should stop communicating with the instigator and notify a trusted adult, Cybertip or the police. Danny’s parents say at least two other boys in their small Manitoba community were targeted in the months following their son’s death. Pilot Mound, with a population of just over 600, was the perfect place to raise their son and two daughters, they say. People take care of each other and there is a sense of security. Jill and Derek Leeds spend time in a memorial garden for their son. (John Woods / The Canadian Press) They never expected a threat from all over the world to slip through social media. Daniel was calm and satisfied. He worked hard and bought his first tablet with his own savings to play games with friends. Derek Lints spoke to his son about staying safe online. As Daniel grew older, he was given more freedom on the internet. He spoke to his family about a school presentation about Amanda Todd, who committed suicide at the age of 15 in 2012 after years of blackmail online. A Dutch citizen is on trial in British Columbia and has pleaded not guilty to five counts, including criminal harassment and sexually assaulting a young man. One in three internet users in the world is a child – one in five in Canada. Many countries are pushing social media companies to ensure that platforms are safe for this demographic. The European Union recently agreed on a landmark regulation for technology giants. Australia and New Zealand are moving in the same direction. Canada has set up an online security advisory board to set up a regulatory framework for dealing with harmful content on the Internet. Sauer says social media platforms have a responsibility to keep children safe. There is so much more they could do, he says. “There seems to be a lack of will and a lack of pressure and obviously a lack of regulation in this area.” More than 10 years after Todd’s death, the Lynchs are frustrated that the children are still in danger. They want every parent and teen to be aware of the sex drive scams. They want pressure on social networking companies to keep children safe. “This is our way of fighting back against these predators who stole Danny from us. That’s what we can do right now,” said Jill Leeds. “We can tell everyone.” If you or someone you know is having difficulty, here’s where you can get help: This guide from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health describes how to talk about suicide with someone you are worried about.
