{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/9/technology/video-blackburn-speaks-with-father-who-lost-his-son-after-instagram-sextortion-scheme", "VIDEO: Blackburn Speaks with Father Who Lost His Son After Instagram Sextortion Scheme", "2025-09-05", "2025", "2025-09", "Republican", "Senate", "TN", "Marsha Blackburn", "B001243", "www.blackburn.senate.gov", "blackburn", "https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/news/cc8c80c1-d564-4bbb-93a4-f1d772346ae0", "scraper", "NASHVILLE, Tenn. \u2013 U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) released a new episode of \u2018Unmuted with Marsha\u2019 with Brian Montgomery, a father who tragically lost his 16-year-old son, Walker, to suicide after he was mercilessly sextorted on Instagram. Brian is a major advocate for Senator Blackburn\u2019s Kids Online Safety Act and successfully fought to pass two bills named after his son in his home state of Mississippi.\n\nOn Tuesday, Senator Blackburn will lead a hearing examining whistleblower allegations that Meta buried child safety research. She recently demanded Meta shut down its Instagram \u201cmap\u201d feature and called for an investigation following a bombshell report that Meta\u2019s internal AI rules allowed chatbots to engage in sensual conversations with children.\n\nClick hereto watch and click here to download this episode of \u2018Unmuted with Marsha.\u2019\n\n\u201cMeta is using our children as a product. They\u2019re making money off of them. They are selling their information. So, if you have a child or a grandchild, when they are online, they are the product\u2026 I want to welcome Brian Montgomery to Unmuted. Brian, I just want to say thank you. You've had this personal tragedy, and you've made safety of our children really a mission set, keeping our kids safe in the virtual space. And your son Walker took his life, and I want you just to talk a little bit about Walker and why it is so important to you that you have taken on this cause,\u201d said Senator Blackburn.\n\n\u201cWhen Walker went to bed the night of November the 30th, what we assumed was just a very normal night, and what we later found out that it was a normal night until midnight when somebody, when some predator from across the world attacked Walker through social media\u2026 In the course of two to four hours, Walker went from just going to bed on a normal night to having taken his own life,\u201d said Montgomery.\n\nRELATED\n\nBlackburn, Grassley, Hawley Demand Answers on Meta\u2019s Emotional Targeting of Children, Repeated Alleged Failures to Comply with Child Privacy Law\n\nICYMI in Reuters: Blackburn Shreds Meta After Bombshell Report Reveals Company\u2019s AI Rules Allowed Bots to Engage in \u2018Sensual\u2019 Chats with Kids\n\nBlackburn, Blumenthal Urge Meta to Shut Down Instagram Map Feature to Protect Kids from Pedophiles & Traffickers\n\nBlackburn, Blumenthal Demand Accountability from Meta Following Bombshell Report Detailing Latest Failures to Protect Minors from Harm", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:10:29Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.blackburn.senate.gov/2025/9/technology/video-blackburn-speaks-with-father-who-lost-his-son-after-instagram-sextortion-scheme"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.6598441395908594, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}