Pictured: Emily Osment as "Lilly Truscott" on "Hannah Montana" on the Disney Channel. (DISNEY CHANNEL/BOB D'AMICO)
Digital bullying will be explored in the upcoming ABC Family movie Cyberbully. The production is a co-effort between ABC Family and Seventeen magazine to raise awareness of the issue of Internet abuse.
The initiative is called Delete Digital Drama and with kick off this summer on ABC Family July5th and will be a key focus in the mag’s August 2011 issue.
Cyberbully will air July 17th on the channel (8:00 p.m. ET/PT) and it stars Emily Osment (Hannah Montana), Kelly Rowan (The OC) and Kay Panabaker (No Ordinary Family).
Why is this so important?
Cyber bullies came into sharp focus after the suicide of Megan Taylor Meier, a Missouri teenager who killed herself three weeks before her 14th birthday after being bullied by Lori Drew, a neighborhood mom pretending to be a teenager.
Drew, who assumed a teen boy identity of Josh Evans, was relentless in her cyber attacks and enlisting the help of an employee. They even went so far as to write “The world would be a better place without you.”
The 13 year old responded with the message “You’re the kind of boy a girl would kill herself over.”
After several instant messages, Meier was found 20 minutes later in her bedroom closet – she hanged herself.
An investigation and indictment of Drew followed. She was acquitted, but the teen’s parents discovered Drew began the attacks after her daughter had had a falling out with Meier.
Cyberbully will follow Taylor Hillridge (Osment), a teenage girl who falls victim to online bullying. The pic will explore the cost it nearly takes on her and her family.
A Public Service Announcement will debut during Cyberbully featuring Osment, who will direct viewers to the website www.stomoutbullying.org.
Do you guys have a facebook fan page for Emily Osment to Star as an Internet Victim of Abuse in “Cyberbully†| Entertainment Heartbeat? I searched for 1 online but could not find one, I would really like to become a follower!