A heartbroken father has made a simple request to all Australians after his young son tragically took his life following a cruel online scam.
Wayne Holdsworth found his 17-year-old son Mac dead in his Melbourne home after online trolls tricked him into carrying out a sextortion scam via social media.
Now he wants Australians to log out of their own social media platforms for a day on October 24, the anniversary of Mac’s tragic death.
Mr. Holdsworth has launched Unplug 24 to raise awareness and funds to help prevent sexual extortion and suicide.
“Essentially, the Unplug 24 campaign is asking every Australian I can contact to refrain from social media for 24 hours on October 24,” he told The Project on Sunday night.
‘So it’s not about eliminating text messages or phone calls, just social media.
“We are asking all Australians to refrain for 24 hours and as adults to set an example to all our children that we are in control of social media and social media is not in control of us.”
He said it would give Australians the chance to “prove” they are in control of social media.
Holdsworth lost her son Mac (left) after a cruel troll leaked an intimate photo to his friends.
Wayne Holdsworth wants Australians to set an example for their children and boycott social media on October 24, the first anniversary of his son’s death.
“I think basically what we’re going to achieve is that people now have the confidence to abstain from social media when they want to,” he continued.
The Project panelists were eager to join.
Co-host Sarah Harris told the father that when she met him she thought he was the “most beautiful dad.”
‘What do people need to do?’ he asked Mr. Holdsworth.
“I urge all Australians to go to www.smacktalk(.com.au),” he said, adding that “Mac” in the name is a reference to his son.
Harris asked the emotional father what his late son would have thought of the campaign.
“Mac supported everything I did and if he was with me now he would say, ‘go dad, you’re making a difference, I’m with you,'” Holdsworth said.
“That’s what I know he’s saying from up there: ‘I’m with you dad.'”
Holdworth also spoke about his family’s grief nearly a year after the tragedy.
“Every day is a struggle,” he said.
‘But we have to see what difference we can make in the community. I could have taken my own life immediately after Mac died.
“I could have lived a really guilty life, but I have used his death to do more and help others, it’s that simple.”
“And SmackTalk is about suicide prevention.”
Holdsworth offered to speak to anyone who approached him and estimated he has already spoken to 8,000 Australians.
A father of two and executive director of the Frankston & District Basketball Association, he never had any indication that his son was struggling.
Even in the hours before he was found dead in his bedroom, Mac had been upbeat, joking with his family and making plans for the next morning.
But the father believes that Mac had felt he had only one way out of the hellish scam.
Mac had been tricked into sending an intimate photo to someone he thought was a teenage girl on Instagram.
Instead, the image was received by a depraved 45-year-old pervert in New South Wales, who then used it to blackmail the teenager.
The man first demanded $500, which Mac quickly sent him. Then came another lawsuit for the same amount.
Mac was told his family would “hate” him and would want to kill himself if the photo was ever shared online.
Mac told his father and the police about the situation.
When police attempted to track down the perpetrator, the man hacked into Mac’s Instagram account and shared the photo with his closest friends.
The situation left Mac humiliated, despite his best efforts to laugh with his friends.
The police accused the man of fraud and asked Mac to prepare a victim statement to read in court, but he took his own life before he could confront the pervert who tried to ruin his life.
“He, in my opinion, never got over that,” Holdsworth told Daily Mail Australia earlier this year.
Holdsworth has dedicated her time to helping prevent suicide following the death of her son.
“The suicide letter he wrote indicated it.”
During a search of Mac devices, the father found a letter apologizing from Mac for being a burden to his family.
At the time, the man was sentenced to just six months behind bars, after having served three and He has since been released.
Mac took his own life exactly 100 days after his mother Renee passed away following an 18-month battle with multiple sclerosis.
Mac’s death prompted Mr. Holdsworth to found the non-profit organization ‘Smacktalk’.
Since Mac’s death on October 23 last year, Holdsworth said she has spent almost every day talking to parents and young people about mental health and rising suicide rates.
Through his non-profit organization, ‘Smacktalk’, he shares his own story with groups and teaches them how to spot signs that someone they love is struggling.
“Part of grieving apparently is finding something that makes you feel better. And people talk about biking or hiking or doing something physical,” he said.
“Well, this is mine… I have an absolute obligation to help other families by sharing my story and presenting some proven guidance that can hopefully help.”
Almost 400 Australians have already registered to take part in Unplug 24.
If you or someone you know needs help, call Lifeline: 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636
