We are profoundly saddened by the news that another teen has been driven to suicide by online trolls.
14-year-old Hannah Smith was taunted over her weight and the death of her beloved uncle. Cyber bullies urged her to "drink bleach" and then "kill herself". At first she fought back, defending herself and her appearance and shaming them as best she could but they wore her down. She hanged herself last Friday.
Now her family is left to deal with the aftermath of her suicide. Trolls have even been spewing their abuse on the Facebook tribute page set up after her tragic death.
Her devastated father David says parents need to keep their children off the website where Hannah was tormented, Ask.fm. He says it's a "stalker paradise" and he's called for it's creators to be charged with manslaughter.
He told Sky News, "These websites should be got rid of, if nothing else they need to be regulated and they need to stop people from doing this.
"Modern technology has gone on but the law have stuck the same."
Something is very wrong with the way people are allowed to behave online. Here's a comparison:
When multiple accidents happen at a particular spot on a particular road it is called a "black spot". It doesn't take long for a set of lights, a roundabout or some speed humps to be installed.
How many deaths is it going to take before we take some real action over those who taunt others to kill themselves?
Less than a fortnight before she died, Hannah begged her tormentors to stop abusing her. One bully called her an "ugly f#ck". Hannah responded by explaining she'd already attempted suicide, saying, "Getting things like this from people that like to hide behind there (sic) computer screen doesn't make me feel any better."
The poor girl tried to be strong.
Her dad said, "You can't just sit behind a keyboard and type something and think that doesn't matter. There's a complete lack of emotional intelligence.
"There's something not right with the world today that people can tell someone to die so many times that they actually do it."
Ask.fm has called the teenager's death a "true tragedy" and said it is cooperating with the police investigation.
In a statement the site said it actively "encourages users and their parents to report any incidences of bullying", either by using the in-site reporting button, or via the website's contact page.
"All reports are read by our team of moderators to ensure that genuine concerns are heard and acted upon immediately - and we always remove content reported to us that violates our Terms of Service," the statement added.
In Australia bullying is being blamed for an average of about 25 per cent of child suicides each year. The Australian Human Rights Commission says bullying is now 'endemic' in Australia and we are ranked the worst in the world for social network bullying.
Commission president professor Gillian Triggs says they are deeply concerned and have now made tackling the problem a priority.
Bullying complaints to the commission have risen by almost 40 per cent to 17,000 a year. You can just imagine how many aren't being reported.
