Eight years ago, 15-year-old Amanda Todd took her own life.
The Grade 10 student from Port Coquitlam, B.C., died by suicide in October 2012. This was soon after posting a chilling black-and-white video online describing the details of the cyberbullying she lived with both online and in school.
Her mother Carol Todd, who has been outspoken about Amanda’s case and the realities of children dealing with cyberbullying, is retelling Amanda’s story in an upcoming documentary called Dark Cloud.
Todd, along with anti-bullying expert and psychologist Wendy Craig of Kingston, Ont., recently joined hosts of The Morning Show to talk about why cyberbullying continues to be a threat today.
In Amanda’s case, her mother says technology has come a long way.
“Things that were being said to her, things that were being sent to her, plus the exploitation and extortion that was happening to her… it was like a kettle boiling over.”
Craig says cyberbullying is when social media is used to harm or hurt another person on purpose and typically it isn’t a one-off event.
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“In Canada, 33 per cent of children are affected by it so it’s a significant kind of problem,” she said.
“Social media just presents an opportunity to harm another through bullying.”
Todd also adds taking this time now to speak about her daughter in a way has helped her grieving process.
“It made me feel like I was doing something positive in such a tragic circumstance.”
She adds that being an educator herself, her whole mission in life was to help others.
To watch the full interview and learn more about ‘Dark Cloud,’ watch the full video above.
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