Amanda Todd, 15, Commits Suicide After Being the Repeated Victim of Cyberbullying
Teen's mother hopes her story can help save others.
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When Amanda Todd was just 12, she had already experienced her first cyberbullying attack. According to reports, she was just having fun with friends online, when she made a terrible choice.
At the time, she didn't think it would come back to haunt her. She, as so many teens do today, made a bad choice. She flashed a webcam by lifting her shirt.
In the years to come, no matter where she lived or how many times she changed schools, her cyber-stalker followed and made sure her secret was made known.
On Oct. 10, Amanda Todd committed suicide. This November, she would have been 16.
Before she died, Todd made a plea via a YouTube video to stop cyber-bullying. She hoped her story would help others understand the severity. Her mother hopes to continue teaching others of her story, so that other parents can understand and hopefully prevent the loss of another child's life.
What can parents of Montgomery County teens to do prevent such a senseless loss? Many commuinty programs are there to help.
Parents can click here to download a video on Cyberbullying provided by the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit. The video was shown to area teens in 2010 during a presentation called "Sticks and Stones:Cyberbullying."
The Center for Parenting Education in Abington offers a number of outlets for area parents, as well, includnig a Cyber TipLine. There teens or parents may report negative online behavior by calling 800-843-5678.
Eyes on Bullying is a website dedicated to educating parents on bullying behaviors and offers tips on what to do if bullying is suspected. The site lists ways that work best to talk to your child about bullying.
For the full story on Amanda Todd, click here. You can view her YouTube video above this story.
aiden
6:09 pm on Saturday, October 13, 2012
very very sad this happens to to many teens today
this person who did the bullying should be charged with murder
shame on them and the family should be posted on the net telling everybody it was there child that did the bullying
my condolences to the todd family
Loretta Wilkinson
8:52 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012
Maybe the parents should toughen-up their kids a bit? Either make sure they're strong enough to take a little criticism and teasing or teach them to physically confront the troublemakers. It seems to be all or nothing with these teens now; either blissfully happy or suicide. There's no in-between.
Maria Jose Gómez Carrasco
8:51 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012
It is unfortunate that such cases occur. Parents should take action. My partner and I have installed a free software sassreport, through which we see our daughter's activity on social networks and so we can prevent and detect any type of cyberbullying. I leave the link where I found http://www.sassreport.com
sofia mogliazzi
8:51 pm on Sunday, October 14, 2012
Parents today have become infamous for turning a blind eye to their children’s problems. Afraid of judgement or what may happen if they acknowledge that their kids issues actually exist. I believe this to be a wake up call to parents everywhere, to open their eyes and pay attention to the blatant cries escaping your children’s mouths.
http://scallywagandvagabond.com/2012/10/canadian-student-amanda-michelle-todd-commits-suicide-after-relentless-bullying/