Wednesday, February 20, 2008

Tech File: Fine line between bullying, free speech

The case of Megan Meier screams out for justice. But to be truly served, justice must be based on a rationality, not just revenge and emotion.

It was disclosed in November that the 14-year-old Missouri girl committed suicide after an adult neighbor - the mother of one of Megan's friends - allegedly carried out a cruel hoax. That mother, Lori Drew, reportedly set up a fake MySpace profile that appeared to belong to a hot-looking teenage boy named Josh Evans. The fake "Josh" initially befriended Megan but later told her he didn't want to be friends with her. Megan, who had a history of taking anti-depression medication, responded by hanging herself.

She isn't the first child to take her own life as a result of cyberbullying, but this case is bizarre in that the main perpetrator was an adult mom rather than a fellow teenager.

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