Megan Meier Suicidal teenager, victim of online bullying Date of Birth: 06.11.1992 Country: USA

1. Megan Meier: A Life Tragically Cut Short by Cyberbullying
2. Bullying and a Fresh Start
3. The Tragedy of Cyberbullying
4. The Shocking Truth

Megan Meier: A Life Tragically Cut Short by Cyberbullying

Megan Meier was born in 1992 in O'Fallon, Missouri, to parents Christina and Ronald Meier. Growing up in Dardenne Prairie, near St. Louis, Megan had a relatively normal childhood, with the exception of being diagnosed with attention deficit disorder. However, her parents took the diagnosis seriously and ensured that Megan received the necessary support and treatment.

Bullying and a Fresh Start

Troubles began for Megan in middle school when her weight became a target for relentless teasing and bullying from her classmates. The constant ridicule took a toll on her mental health, and the bullying escalated to a point where her parents felt they had no choice but to transfer her to Immaculate Conception Catholic School, a girls' school with stricter rules that aimed to eliminate inequality by banning cosmetics and enforcing a uniform dress code.

At her new school, Megan quickly assimilated and made friends. She also began to lose weight, becoming more confident and happy in the process. However, her troubles were far from over.

The Tragedy of Cyberbullying

On the social networking site MySpace, Megan connected with Josh Evans, a 16-year-old boy from a neighboring town. Their online friendship soon turned into something more, or at least that's what Megan believed. Megan's mother closely monitored their correspondence and saw no issue with her daughter's relationship with Josh.

After six weeks of getting to know each other online, Josh's tone abruptly changed, leaving Megan confused and hurt. Desperate for answers, Megan asked him what he meant by his sudden change in behavior. The next day, upon returning from school, Megan asked her mother if she could log in to her MySpace account. Concerned about a doctor's appointment for Megan's younger sister, her mother simply told her to log out.

Later, Megan called her mother in tears. It turned out that Josh had orchestrated a cruel campaign of online bullying against Megan. When her parents returned home and checked Megan's MySpace page, they were horrified to discover the vile and hurtful messages exchanged between the teenagers. Megan's mother scolded her for engaging in such a heated argument, and Megan sought solace from her father. However, just 20 minutes later, Megan Meyer took her own life.

The Shocking Truth

Devastated by their daughter's tragic death, Megan's parents sought comfort from psychologists while trying to cope with the unimaginable grief. However, their trials were far from over. It was soon revealed that "Josh Evans" did not exist. He had been invented by Lori Drew, the mother of one of Megan's classmates and former friends. The purpose of this elaborate deceit was to determine if Megan was spreading rumors about her daughter, Sarah. Sarah was also an eyewitness and participant in this despicable hoax.

Lori Drew did not hide her involvement in creating the fake account. While she expressed regret and sympathy for how the situation unfolded, she believed Megan's parents should have monitored their daughter's online activities more closely. Another adult, a young colleague of Lori's, was also implicated in the plot against Megan.

This story created a firestorm within the online community. Thousands of angry messages and comments were directed towards Lori Drew, who many blamed for Megan's death. Satellite images of Drew's home were even circulated online. Meanwhile, lawyers sought legal recourse for this tragedy. Ultimately, the court acquitted Lori Drew, citing freedom of speech as protected by the First Amendment. The only charge that stuck was a violation of the 1986 Computer Fraud and Abuse Act. According to the law, no one was held accountable for Megan Meier's untimely demise. As for Lori Drew, if she was able to drive a teenager to suicide, it can be presumed she was able to weather the subsequent accusations.