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.
