Teen Checkup | Internet Safety

MySpace Suicide Case Highlights Cyberbully Culture

So why did 13 year old Megan Meier take her own life after a tumultuous, online relationship with a fellow teen? According to prosecuting attorney’s, the grim decision was the direct result of a focused, premeditated attack by 49 year old Lori Drew, her then 18 year old assistant, and Drew’s daughter.

Prosecutor Thomas O’brien claims that Drew and the two younger women originally created the false MySpace profile for “Josh Evans” after deciding that the cyber-charade was the best way to discover if Megan Meier had been spreading rumors about Drew’s daughter.

According to the Guardian:

In his opening statement to jurors in Los Angeles, the prosecutor, Thomas O’Brien, said Drew, her daughter and an employee of Drew’s “hatched a plot to prey on the psyche” of a girl she knew was “vulnerable, suicidal and boy-crazy”.

The court heard that Drew posed as a teenage boy named Josh Evans on MySpace and exchanged messages with Megan.

“Her purpose was to tease Megan Meier, to tease her, to humiliate her and to hurt her,” O’Brien said. “One of her plans was to print out the conversations and take it to Megan’s school and let people make fun of this depressed 13-year-old girl.”

Obrien also revealed that the last message message Megan answered before her suicide suggested that the “world would be better off without her.” Megan’s response?

“‘You are the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over,”‘ O’Brien said.

This post was written by: Joe Nolan

Tags: josh evans, kill, lori drew

Cyberbully Trial Spotlights Cyber Suicide

Although everyone involved in her case agrees that Megan Meier took her own life, committing suicide by hanging, prosecutors have their own version of the events that lead up to Megan’s tragic decision.

According to prosecuting attorney, Thomas O’brien, Megan - who was only 13 years old - killed herself after she had repeatedly received cruel and hurtful messages on her MySpace page. Followers of these posts know that we address cyberbullying quite often. Every now and then I have made reference to a case that involved a suicide. This is that case, and - now that the trial has begun - a number of questions arise for Internet culture in general and social networking in particular.

Prosecutors hope to pin Megan’s suicidal melancholy to the messages that she believed she was receiving from a boy named Josh Evans. In reality, Megan was walking into an emotional cyber-ambush that would - as prosecutors would have their jury believe - lead to Megan hanging herself in a closet using a belt.

So far the trial has already involved a number of emotional testimonies and vivid accounts of the discovery of Megan’s body. Although all of this might sound like a made-for-T.V. thriller, and prosecutors are scoring lots of points connecting the girl’s demise to the cyber-attacks, this is NOT a murder trial. Clearly a suicide CANNOT be a homicide. This is a fraud trial. The prosecution is ultimately trying to nail the defendant for violating MySpace’s terms of use, using a false identity, and specific computer-use fraud legislation that has been successfully utilized to prosecute computer hackers.

Here is another piece about the story. More to come in my upcoming posts!

This post was written by: Joe Nolan

Tags: meier, Myspace, Suicide

Cyberbullying Goes On Trial

In what is probably the most visible case involving cyberbullying, the death of Megan Meier has loomed large on the horizon for pundits of teen internet safety, advocates - and opponents - of social networking, and media gawkers who can’t get enough of reality-T.V. car wrecks, especially when they’re not on T.V. This case -tragically- is just plain real.

To state it simply, Megan Meier was a teenager from Missouri before she took her own life by hanging herself. Meier may have been a one of any number of American teens that kill themselves every year: a family tragedy , and a national statistic. But Megan’s case is different. Megan’s death has lead to a trial that will put the phenomenon of cyberbullying front and center in the national spotlight.

Usually a teen suicide would never involve a trial at all. Clearly suicides are usually a private, one-sided affair by definition; the larger community only playing the part of mourners, witnesses, and - especially where a young person is concerned - dumbfounded by-standers, left to contemplate the confusing aftermath. But the prosecutors in Megan’s case have a different understanding of the events that lead to the girl taking her own life.

For an overview of the case check out this article, and stick with the next few posts as we dive deeper into the issues that are at stake in this important trial.

This post was written by: Joe Nolan

Tags: Cyber-bullying, megan meier, missouri

Teen Health on a Dangerous Decline

It’s startling news, but we knew it was coming. The health of our children and teenagers is on a serious decline. In fact health care providers have issued this warning:

For the first time in generations, today’s children and teens might not outlive their baby boomer parents.

The statistics for young patients are alarming:

• 18% Childhood obesity
• 5% High blood pressure 
• Young patients entering the hospital for chronic illness is up to 50%

The call for change is now going out to doctors, families and schools.  Experts encourage heart-healthy diets, exercise, limit TV and computer time, and make P.E. an important part of school.

My colleague down in New Orleans, Meg Farris of WWL-TV, recently reported on this important issue facing teens today. Her report is riveting, yet quite startling.

Check it out. The health of our children is at stake.

 

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: childhood obesity, children's health, limit tv, teen health

Tolerant Teens Most Helpful When Gadgets Fail

You know that feeling you get when your Internet connection dies or when your computer just stops functioning? You want to literally pull your hair out or even throw your computer into oncoming traffic. We’ve all been there, and each one of us handles the situation differently.

Teens evidently are the most tolerant during a technological meltdown. According to the Pew Research Center, young adults are much more optimistic when their gadgets fail.  In fact, they are more likely to be confident that they are on the right path to fixing it than us older adults who want to kick and scream.

While there is no data on how successful teens are in actually fixing their devices, experts say young people have high hopes that they can at least try to fix the problem.

Teens. I guess they’re much more tolerant than we thought.

All of this is good to know, especially the next time my wireless router decides to stop working.

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: patience, technological meltdown, when technology fails, wireless router, young adults

Part 4: Social Networking Beyond MySpace, Facebook

This is part four of my series on social networks.

Have you explored some of the networking sites I’ve passed along to you? Some of them are real gems - especially if you’re interested in learning about other cultures and hobbies.

So far, I’ve named at least 60 social networking sites that can literally put you in touch with people who live, perhaps, in Finland or Japan and share the exact same hobbies as you.

It’s a great big social networking world out there. Go out and explore it.

Here is my last list of sites - in alphabetical order.

Playboy U - Online college community

quarterlife -A social network for artists, filmmakers, musicians, and creative people

Ravelry - Knitting and crochet

Skyrock -Leading Social Network in French-speaking world

Sonico.com - Popular in Latin America and Spanish and Portuguese speaking regions.

Soundpedia - Music

Stickam - Live video streaming and chat.

Student.com - International teens; colleges

StudiVZ - University students, mostly in the German-speaking countries

Taltopia - Online artistic community

TravBuddy.com - Travel

Travellerspoint - Travel

Tuenti.com - Very Popular in Spain

Twitter -Micro-blogging, RSS, updates

V Kontakte- Russian social network.

Vampirefreaks - Gothic and industrial subculture

Vox - Blogging

WAYN -Travel and lifestyle

Xiaonei - Significant site in China

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: international subcultures, international teens, networking world, social networking sites

The Dangerous Side of iPod Defense

What lengths would you go to protect your iPod from a mugger?

While most of us would hand it over rather than risk our lives - kids up in Canada are doing the exact opposite. They will fight, kick, yell, scream — just about anything to keep their gadgets away from thieves.

To Canadian teens these iPods aren’t just for listening to music and podcasts. Oh no. iPods are status symbols. You are considered cool if you have ear buds dangling from your head.

Of course, even on this side of the border, iPods are considered the “creme de la creme” of MP3 players.  They are expensive. They are also a hot ticket item for bad guys.

In fact, a young man in Ottawa is being tried for first-degree murder under allegations his motive revolved around scoring the slain man’s iPod.

So, truthfully, why are kids willing to risk their lives for their iPods? Well, the psychologists put like this:

“These kids are so invested in their music and in their playlists, it’s like they put their identity into their song selection. So you’re not just stealing a device, to them you’re stealing an identity.”

- Gary Direnfeld, a child-behaviour expert and social worker

I get it. I understand kids LOVE their iPods. But don’t risk your lives for them.

It’s just technology, folks. You can always buy a new one.

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: canadian teens, ear buds, ipod, playlists, status symbol

Zac Sunderland: The World Awaits…

Last week I wrote about Zac Sunderland. He’s the inspirational teen, accomplished sailor and navigator, who is trying to become the world’s youngest person to sail around the world.

So far, he’s succeeding.

I’ve become so enamored with this kid’s story that I’ve made it a daily habit to find an update about him - somewhere. It’s not easy. Zac has his own website and blog - which is updated - but not enough to feed my fascination. Most of the newspapers aren’t following him either. If I’m lucky, I’ll find a brief update about him once a month buried in my local paper.

So far, Zac has reached his half-way point - which is Mauritius, a tiny island nation off the coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Zac describes it as looking more like Hawaii with a lot of sugar cane around. His blog post from Port Louis gives us a tiny glimpse of what life has been like for him down there.

By that evening I was feeling pretty bad. Someone at the yacht club gave me a couple of bottles of cold pills. Seeing that the directions were in French I just took 2 of each and that helped me pull my runny nose together long enough to give a speech to the yacht club members. I have been taking the ones with the picture of the nose on it since then. Hopefully, I will have a time on this next leg to listen to the French CDs my mom sent over.

Zac’s next stop will be in Durban, South Africa - followed by Cape Town.

This 16-year-old is living the dream - his dream.

I hope one day I can do the same.

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: durban south africa, young sailor, youngest solo circumnavigator, zac sunderland

Journey into the Teen ‘Tribe’

From international politics to school yard fights to religion - teens are talking about just about everything at the Tribe.

I just stumbled upon the site as I was researching for another post and, I have to say, I was pretty impressed.

The Tribe is a page by and for teens and appears in the first issue of every month in The Jewish Journal. Its writers include 9th - 12th graders who all write - quite expertly - interesting first-person columns.

Just take a look at some of these titles and excerpts.

Believe me. They’ll leave you wanting more.

Color puts Holocaust in new dimension

As I skimmed the first page, the word “photo” caught my attention. A friend who went on the trip last year told me of a particular photo at Auschwitz. This photo was just another picture on the wall, until one of the survivors pointed to a certain gaunt child and said, “That’s me.”

‘Dirty’ music needs regulation

Recently, I was shocked to find out that “back in the day,” television stations did not display Elvis Presley from the waist down, as broadcasters deemed his constant hip swiveling inappropriate. Today, half of the music videos played on MTV contain provocatively dressed women dancing erotically. Society’s standards for “appropriate content” have decreased dramatically.

An unexpected family in Netanya

When I introduced myself, my mind focused on one question: “How am I going to bond with these adorable girls?” They came from broken homes and had experienced horrors I could not even begin to fathom. To complicate matters further, they only spoke Hebrew, and my academics had not prepared me for the stress of recalling a second language while also relating in the ways these girls needed.

I spent hours on the Tribe getting lost in these stories of love, renewal and self-discovery.

You’ll get lost too - I guarantee it.
 

 

 

 

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: hebrew, jewish journal, jewish teens, self discovery

Teen’s Green Book a Winner

Here’s proof that with a little determination and ingenuity - you can do just about anything.

17-year-old Alison Hestrin Lerner was so driven to teach kids about the environment– she wrote a book about it.

“The Green Street Kids: The Earth Warriors,” was published in September and kids, ages four and up, are loving it.

The book revolves around the Earth-saving aspirations of four elementary school friends during the summer of 2007. Illustrations were done by a student from California Institute of the Arts.

It’s a quick read - but its environmental message hits home instantly.

While Alison is now looking ahead to college - she also thinking about turning “Green Street Kids” into a series. She says future books will focus on specific environmental issues, such as global warming and carbon emissions

Anyone who is young and is passionate about the environment gets a gold star in my book.

Let’s hope Alison’s message inspires other young people to become “green” advocates themselves.

This post was written by: Erin

Tags: carbon emissions, environmental message, street kids, teen author