My son told me he wants to die

Today I grounded my 6 year old son and he told me he wants to die.

We have a rule in the house that food and drinks aren’t allowed in the living room. today my 6 year old son took a chocolate milk bottle into the living room and spilled it all over the sofa, so i grounded him by taking his iPad away.

Then I noticed that he was staring mindlessly at nothing with a sad look on his face. so i went over to him to play with him and cheer him up and to show him that we can enjoy our time without the iPad, But he told me to go away and to not touch him, i didn’t listen and kept trying, then he told me “I don’t want to live, I want to die, choke me so that i can’t breathe and die, I don’t want to live with you”, I reassured him that i love him and asked him why is he saying these stuff, he refused to talk and kept telling me to go away.

Later today he came to me and apologized for what he have said and done and asked if he can have his iPad back, I told him that his apology is accepted but he can’t have the iPad back and he became sad and was about to cry (I didn’t want to give him the iPad back because I don’t want him to be attached to it and base his happiness or sadness on it) my husband saw him about to cry and asked me to give him the iPad so I did (I haven’t told my husband about this yet)

I understand that my child has an iPad problem and is attached to it way too much. I will start slowly removing it out of his life.

but im here for help with the “i want to die” thing, I don’t want to slide over it like it didn’t happen, and I don’t know what to do or say and how i can change these thoughts, I don’t want him to feel this way, i want to get these thoughts out of his head, what should i do?