Teen Suicide A Victim Of Severe Cyberbullying - 3502 Words

Megan Meier was 13 years old and struggled with self-image and depression for many years. One day, she met a boy on MySpace and the two became very close. Megan was the happiest she had been in her entire life, and under her parents’ watchful eyes, she continued to flourish. However, on October 16, 2006, Megan became the victim of severe cyberbullying. The boy she was talking to began to say hurtful things to her, which quickly spiraled into a situation where many of her â€Å"friends† on social media began posting derogatory comments about her. Despite her parents’ pleas to get off the Internet, Megan continued to read the comments. That night, Megan’s mom found her hanged in her closet (Megan Meir Foundation, n.d.). This story is one of the many that has caught the media’s attention over recent years. Teen suicide in relation to bullying started garnering public and media attention after the Columbine and Santana High School shootings in 1999 and 2001 respectively (Ericson, n.d.). It is noted that the boys who completed these murder-suicides were bullied throughout their school careers (n.d.). In response to this observation, researchers began studying the link between bullying and suicide. Studies are now showing that bullying is an important risk factor in the ideation and completion of suicide in juveniles. Both victims and bullies are more likely to attempt suicide or have suicidal thoughts than those who are not involved in this type of violence (Hinduja and Patchin,Show MoreRelatedSocial Media Has Taken The World By Storm933 Words   |  4 Pagesinteractions and introduces a world entered using only the touch of a finger. It is estimated that 69% of teens, aged 12 to 18, own their own computer and/or smartphone and 80% of those teens are active on one or more social media sites (Laird, 2012). Thus, a good portion of this generation’s social and emotional development is occurring while engaged on social media. 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