After losing his teenage son Mac to suicide following online sexual extortion, Wayne Holdsworth has turned his grief into a mission to help other young people. Now SmackTalk is bringing that work across South Australia.
Content warning: This article discusses suicide and online sexual extortion
Four weeks ago, after speaking at a junior football club about the dangers young people can face online, Wayne Holdsworth got talking to a teenage boy.
“He said that he had a plan that night to take his life,” Wayne says.
The boy had been sexually extorted after an intimate image he thought was private was shared. His mum had no idea what he was going through.
Wayne asked if they could bring her into the conversation. Together, they connected the boy with crisis support and an appointment for the following morning.
Last weekend, Wayne received a text message from his mum “to say that he was still alive, which was really nice”.
Wayne says 12 people have now disclosed plans to take their lives after hearing him speak. Each has since been connected with help.
“I guess that’s Mac’s legacy.”
A boy called Mac
Wayne founded suicide-prevention charity SmackTalk after his 17-year-old son Mac took his own life in 2023 following online sexual extortion.
Since then, Wayne has spoken to about 36,000 people at 150 sessions across Australia through schools, sporting clubs and community organisations, helping young people recognise online harm, understand suicide warning signs and know when to ask for help.
The grief hasn’t become easier, but he says it’s worth it.
“The only thing that gets me out of bed and putting a foot ahead of the next is the knowledge that we’re leaving a legacy for Mac and saving lives.”
What SA is doing next
Wayne is now expanding that work in South Australia.
The state government is providing SmackTalk with $250,000 to develop a new program focusing on online harm and youth suicide prevention for SA schools and community organisations.
The 18-month project will develop resources, train local facilitators with lived experience and test a pilot program planned for Term 3, 2027.
Wayne describes it as the “wraparound” support that’s needed to support the student who hears his SmackTalk presentation and realises ‘that’s me’.
The dangers following kids home
Suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians, and males account for the majority of suicide deaths.
Wayne says the online pressures he sees affecting young people range from sexual extortion and cyberbullying to body image and constant comparison.
Sexual extortion can be particularly devastating because shame stops young people asking for help.
“Particularly boys, they’re ashamed and embarrassed,” Wayne says.
National research found more than one in 10 young people aged 16-18 had been victims of sexual extortion, with more than half experiencing it before turning 16.
And unlike the schoolyard bullying previous generations could at least leave behind when they went home, social media can follow young people everywhere.
Then there’s what they’re comparing themselves with. Flinders University research found increased time on social media among kids aged 11-14 was linked with higher levels of disordered eating behaviours.
Wayne’s message to young people caught up in any of it is simple: talk.
“It’s about feeling safe to talk about it. And not feeling as though they’ve failed, they’re letting you down.”
Social media restriction a good start
South Australia was the first state to push for restrictions on children accessing social media, releasing a proposed legislative model in 2024 before taking the issue national.
That push ultimately became national under-16 social media age restrictions.
“If this legislation was in place when Mac was growing up, and the education we see today was in place, Mac would be alive today,” Wayne says.
“I don’t say that lightly. And if I’d known then what I know now, he’d be alive today.”
Wayne believes the restriction has already been valuable – not only because of who it keeps off social media, but because it has forced parents and young people to talk about online harm.
“The legislation itself, in my opinion, has been successful because it’s given the issue such a profile, and adults now understand more than ever the perils of social media.”
But he’s adamant legislation alone won’t solve the problem.
“The legislation is sensational. It’s great.”
“But what we’re in control of is our education.”
Wayne wants the risks of social media to become just as well understood – ideally before kids get their first accounts.
“‘Education, education, education’ is my message for everybody.”
Ask – then actually listen
Wayne also wants parents and friends to feel better equipped to step in.
“Have the guts and courage as a friend to ask your friend open-ended questions about their wellbeing,” he says.
And once they start answering, don’t rush into fix-it mode. Instead, “listen to understand”.
Wayne prefers to talk about “mental fitness” rather than mental health – he says renaming it takes away the stigma.
“Physical fitness, we see it,” he says. “If someone’s struggling, like limping or got a cut in their eye, we ask lots of questions about it because we can see it. With mental fitness, we can’t see the injury – but it’s just as real.”
His ultimate goal is for teenagers to be able to ask their mates about their mental fitness just as easily as they check in on their physical fitness.
And if someone says they don’t want to be here anymore, Wayne says it’s time to ask directly about suicidal thoughts and help connect them with immediate professional support.
“You will create the biggest legacy of your life because you’re on the way to saving a life.”
Could you unplug for a day?
There’s another way South Australians will be able to get involved with SmackTalk this year.
Unplug24 asks people to step away from social media for 24 hours on 24 October, the anniversary of Mac’s death.
Wayne and his family started the campaign as a way to honour Mac while raising awareness of sextortion and suicide prevention – and reminding people “we’re in control of social media, and social media isn’t in control of us”.
Wayne says 136,000 people registered in its first year and 829,000 the next. This year, the aim is one million, with a South Australian launch planned as part of the state government-funded SmackTalk project.
Learn more about SmackTalk and sign up online for Unplug24.
Are you struggling or do you know someone who is? Help is available at:
Beyond Blue: 1300 22 46 36
LifeLine: 13 11 14
Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800
SA mental health services register
