Federal agents combating child exploitation must also grapple with public reluctance to talk about crisis

Three years after her son Ryan Last’s suicide, Pauline Stuart reflects on her true friendships and the stigma surrounding discussions of child sex exploitation. Ryan, a high-achieving student, took his life in 2022 after falling victim to a sextortion plot, which has contributed to a disturbing rise in child exploitation cases, with sextortion incidents increasing fivefold since 2019. Efforts like the Justice Department’s “Operation Restore Justice,” which has led to over 200 arrests, aim to combat this crisis, yet public reluctance to engage in these conversations hampers progress.