Cyber Bullying Case #3: Alexis Pilkington

Soccer star Alexis Pilkington, 17, took her own life March 21 following vicious taunts on social networking sites -- which persisted postmortem on Internet tribute pages, worsening the grief of her family and friends.

Alexis' parents downplayed the role the Internet played in her suicide, saying their daughter was in counseling before she ever signed up with FormSpringMe.com, a new social networking site, where many of the attacks appeared.

However, Glor points out, the incident underscores the growing trend of cyberbullying.

A bill aimed at preventing it is now being considered in Washington, D.C. It would make electronic communication intended to coerce, intimidate or harass a federal crime.

Fifteen states have such laws, and Massachusetts is considering one.

Among kids, Glor notes, a whopping 42 percent say they've been bullied online.

And the relentless taunting has helped push several of them over the edge.

One of the highest profile cases of cyberbullying was that a Missouri teen, Megan Meier who, authorities charged, was driven to suicide after taunts from her classmate's mother.

After years of bullying, Vermont eighth-grader Ryan Halligan took his own life in 2003 when a rumor about him spread across the Web.

His father, John Halligan, says it was "like a feeding frenzy. Kids who normally didn't bully got in on the fun, both at school and online."

In Massachusetts, fifteen-year-old Phoebe Prince and eleven-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover took their own lives after unrelenting bullying pushed them over the edge.

Teenage bullying has taken center stage in the Massachusetts state house, where lawmakers are considering tough anti-bullying legislation that would require publicly-funded school administrators to take action against bullies. The legislation takes particular aim at cyberbullying over cell phones and the Internet.

Krysten Moore is a 20-year-old former Miss Teen New Jersey who knows first-hand the toll that cyber-bullying can take. She endured merciless harassment for much of her teen years and is now speaking out, trying to empower other young people. Ross Ellis is the founder of Love Our Children USA, an organization committed to ending violence against children and helping parents protect their children from bullying. On "The Early Show" Monday, they discussed increasing efforts to crack down on cyberbullying and make teens aware of it:

*This beautiful young lady commited suicide because she was taunted by insecure students, as well as being a star soccer plater she was an honor student. The ideal child! Do you want to be the reason why someone commits suicide? I didnt think so! PAUSE BEFORE YOU POST!
Link: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/03/29/earlyshow/main6343077.shtml

Video:http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6343317n&tag=related;photovideo

Cyber Bullying Case #2; Megan Taylor Meier.

In October of 2006, 13 year old Megan Taylor Meier hung herself in her closet because she was being cyber bullied. The mother of a former friend of Megan's allegedly created a fictitious profile in order to gain Megan's trust and learn what Megan was saying about her daughter. But the communication eventually turned hostile.

THE BACK STORY;
Megan Meier sometimes suffered from low self-esteem and was on medication at the time of her death. But her family said she looked forward to her 14th birthday and having her braces removed.
When a cute boy befriended Megan on the social networking site MySpace, the two formed a quick connection during their more than month-long relationship.
"She got this e-mail from this boy named Josh Evans," Tina Meier said.
Evans claimed to be a 16-year-old boy who lived nearby and was home schooled. But what began as a promising online friendship soon turned sour, as compliments turned to insults.
"Megan gets an e-mail, or a message from Josh on her MySpace on Oct. 15, 2006, saying, 'I don't know if I want to be friends with you any longer because I hear you're not nice to your friends,'" Tina Meier said.
Someone using Josh's account was sending cruel messages and Megan called her mother, saying electronic bulletins were being posted about her, saying things like, "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat," according to the Associated Press.
The cyber exchange devastated Megan, who was unable to understand how and why her friendship unraveled. The stress and frustration was too much for Megan, who had a history of depression.
Tina Meier discovered her daughter's body in a bedroom closet on Oct. 16, 2006. Megan had hanged herself and died a day later.
But six weeks after Megan's death, the Meiers learned Josh Evans never existed. A mother, who had learned of the page from her own daughter, told the Meiers a neighborhood mom had created and monitored Evans' profile and page.
There was a connection between the Meiers and the family with the mother accused of running Evans' profile. In fact, the woman who created the profile had asked the Meiers if her family could store their foosball table.

Once they learned of the family's involvement, the Meiers destroyed the table, placed it in the woman's yard and encouraged the family to move, according to the AP.
"That's the biggest tragedy of this whole thing: An adult did it," Ron Meier said.
While the woman who created the fake profile has not been charged with a crime, residents have proposed a new ordinance related to child endangerment and Internet harassment. It could come before city leaders on Wednesday, according to the AP.

Question; Do you want to be the cause of someone's death? Didn't think so.
PAUSE BEFORE YOU POST.

SOURCES;
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3882520&page=2

http://www.publicityx.com/megan/home.htm

Pause Before You Post

Pause Before You Post is a public service program from Jostens encouraging everyone to make smart decisions about personal publishing. Through expert advice online and in schools, we’re hoping to make teens and parents more aware of the responsibilities and consequences of sharing information, particularly through online social media.

Make a statement supporting Pause Before You Post^™ and spread the word in your community with the following pledge: I believe in making smart decisions when I share information online and want to spread the word to my friends, family and community about taking time to Pause Before You Post.

Before I make a post, I pledge to ask myself:

• Who will be able to see what I post?
• Will anyone be embarrassed or hurt by it?
• Am I proud of what I’m posting?
• How I would feel if someone posted it about me?

Sources: http://www.jostens.com/students/students_cp_pause_before_you_post.html

Sign The Pledge: Remember Think About What Your Saying Before You Post, It Never Goes Away!

Cyberbullying Case: Phoebe Prince

Phoebe Prince, South Hadley High School's 'new girl,' driven to suicide by teenage cyber bullies

BY HELEN KENNEDY

DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Monday, March 29, 2010

Nine Massachusetts teens were indicted Monday for driving a pretty 15-year-old "new girl" from Ireland to suicide in a case that has become a symbol of high school bullying.
The sweeping charges - which come after months of complaints that the bullies weren't being punished - include statutory rape, violation of civil rights with bodily injury, criminal harassment and stalking.
Phoebe Prince, a new arrival at South Hadley High School from a tiny seaside hamlet in County Clare, was mercilessly tormented by a cadre of classmates later dubbed the "Mean Girls" by Massachusetts newspapers.
"The investigation revealed relentless activity directed toward Phoebe designed to humiliate her and to make it impossible for her to remain at school," District Attorney Elizabeth Scheibel said.

* This girl will never have the experiences we have because she is DEAD! Because of some insecure individuals that drove her to suicide. Do you want to be the one to drive someone to suicide? Watch what you say, DON'T BE A CYBERBULLY.