The person demanded money and threatened to share John’s image online, a crime commonly referred to as sextortion. John lost more than £3,000 trying to stop the blackmailer from sharing the image.
When he had no more money to offer - fearing there was no way out - John thought about taking his own life.
EE, which is owned by BT, said it aims to improve children's "digital wellbeing" after receiving increasing requests for guidance from parents.
It said that under-11s should be given "non-smart" devices that have similar capabilities as old brick phones.
The recommendation - announced for the start of the new school year - comes amid growing concern about the effects of smartphone and internet usage on children's mental health and behaviour.
More than 700 people in the UK have posted on a pro-suicide website looking for someone to die with, a BBC investigation has found.
Hundreds of families are suing some of the world's biggest technology companies - who, they say, knowingly expose children to harmful products.
"I literally was trapped by addiction at age 12. And I did not get my life back for all of my teenage years."
Taylor Little's addiction was social media, an addiction that led to suicide attempts and years of depression.
"There is a problem in sport with underfuelling and underloading. That comes with the constant demands to look a certain way and, unfortunately, a vitriolic environment that comes from social media.
"I always urge everybody to be mindful of that because we're destroying people in many ways."
Young TikTok users in the UK have viewed videos that promote deadly and illegal bodybuilding drugs 89m times, a report has found.
The report, titled TikTok’s Toxic Trade, by the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH), looks into the promotion of bodybuilding drugs and a rise in toxic content aimed at young men.
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