Lorin LaFave is speaking out against a blanket social media ban for children, despite the tragic loss of her son, Breck Bednar. Breck was murdered on February 17, 2014, by Lewis Daynes after being groomed online. LaFave argues that a ban is not the right approach for protecting young people. She is instead pushing for a shift in how society approaches online safety and culture.
As reported by Unilad, the documentary From Minecraft to Murder: The Killing of Breck Bednar explores the details of this case. LaFave set up The Breck Foundation following the murder to teach students, parents, and schools about the risks of grooming. She believes that sharing real stories is the best way to help kids recognize red flags.
Breck was a member of 135 Squadron Air Training Corps in Surrey, UK, before he met Daynes. He started playing violent online games with Daynes, who was a computer engineer. Over 13 months, Daynes groomed Breck by promising him great wealth and buying him secret phones. Breck eventually began distancing himself from his family and refusing to attend school or church.
She hopes her teachings will prevent others from experiencing the same loss
The situation ended when Breck was lured to the apartment of Daynes in Essex. Daynes stabbed him in the neck and used duct tape to secure his wrists and ankles. The next morning, Daynes called the police and claimed that Breck had attempted to take his own life. Investigators quickly proved that the story was false. Daynes was sentenced to life in prison in 2015 at the age of 19, with a minimum of 25 years to serve.
LaFave noted that she reached out for help before the murder occurred, including contacting the police. She felt she was hitting brick walls because there was little awareness regarding online grooming at the time, especially when the victims were boys. She explained that people were hesitant to discuss these dangers because they worried about scaring children.
“Nobody wanted to talk about it. At the time, they said their children would be scared. But I’d rather my child have nightmares because they’re thinking about the dangers of what could happen than be sheltered from it, make a mistake and die,” LaFave said.
She pointed out that many parents and professionals have told her that using the story of Breck helps make the dangers more believable for young people. She hopes this education will prevent others from experiencing the same loss.
The UK government plans to stop children under 16 from accessing social media by spring 2027, but LaFave remains skeptical. She believes that kids like Breck and his friends would find ways to bypass those restrictions.
She thinks that focusing on a cultural change is more important than attempting to enforce a total ban that might not be effective. “It’s never going to be 100 percent safe, but what I guess I’m hoping for is a change of culture, and so that we actually look at what children’s needs are,” she said.
“Over the years, there has been too many people to count,” she told LADbible. “Parents, even professionals and police have all worked with us. So many people have said that by using Breck’s story and other real-life stories it makes it more real and engaging and believable. Maybe if only Breck and his friends had heard a story… because he was one of the early atrocities.” She further added, “I want people to learn from Breck’s story, because it’s every parent’s worst nightmare.”
Published: Oct 21, 2026 09:15 am