Amanda Todd was not internet obsessed, mother says
Daughter was active in sports
CBC News
Posted: Oct 23, 2012 5:08 PM PT
Last Updated: Oct 23, 2012 9:24 PM PT
Carol Todd says her daughter did not lack for resources or support through her ordeal. (The Vancouver Sun)
The mother of cyberbullying victim Amanda Todd says the teen, whose story led to a worldwide outpouring of anger and grief, touched the heart of most people she met and was not obsessed with being on the internet.
In an Oct. 20 interview with the Vancouver Sun, released Tuesday, Carol Todd, of Port Coquitlam, B.C., said her 15-year-old daughter rarely failed to leave a positive impression on people.
“Amanda touched the heart of most people that she met. She did something. It was something her smile or what she said or her laughter or her humour. She had quirky humour. They always found the side of Amanda that they liked,” Todd said.
Amanda Todd, 15, of Port Coquitlam, B.C., took her own life earlier this month. (Facebook)Amanda Todd committed suicide earlier this month after posting a video on YouTube detailing her plight with bullies and others trying to manipulate her in person and online.
Her exact cause of death has not been revealed.
In the video, using a series of flash cards, Amanda wrote that her downward spiral started after an unknown man convinced her to expose herself online in front of a webcam. He blackmailed her and spread the photos around, destroying her reputation.
Carol Todd said people who ask why her daughter was on the internet so much instead of being engaged in other activities don’t know the whole story.
“She did use some internet stuff on her downtime, but in her whole entire life she figure-skated in our community, she swam competitively in the summer for a couple of years. She did gymnastics, she did soccer, she cheerleaded. For six years, she played ice hockey in our community,” her mother said.
A video Todd posted before her death explained her plight in a unique way. (YouTube)“She did as much as any child could and maybe a little more,” Todd’s mother said. “It isn't about a child that had nothing to do and sat on her computer in her room 24/7 — that wasn't it.”
Todd said her daughter was not ignored or deprived, and had lots of help available to her.
“When she was in need of support, there was counselling available to, there was doctors’ support for her, there was school support available for her. We did everything. We did everything we could.”
With files from the CBC's Susana da SilvaShare Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Body found inside burning van in East Vancouver
- Police are investigating after a body was found inside a burning van in East Vancouver Saturday morning. more »
- McDonald's CEO chastised by 9-year-old B.C. girl
- A girl from Kelowna, B.C., is making international headlines for chastising the CEO of McDonald's during the corporation's annual shareholders meeting in Chicago on Thursday. more »
- UBC student took 'nose dive into water' after bridge collapse

- A UBC student says he's happy to be alive after the Skagit River Bridge collapsed beneath him on Thursday night. more »
- Dog snared on baited hooks near Vancouver's Grouse Grind trail
- RCMP in North Vancouver have issued a warning after a dog was snared by a cruel trap set with baited hooks near the Grouse Grind Trail yesterday morning. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- 3 more suspects arrested in slaying of U.K. soldier
- British police investigating the savage killing of an off-duty soldier in London have arrested three more suspects. more »
- Hockey Canada votes to ban bodychecking in peewee hockey
- Hockey Canada's board of directors voted to eliminate bodychecking from peewee-level hockey on Saturday in Charlottetown. more »
- Neil Macdonald: How serious is Obama about curbing the drone surge?
- In a key speech this week, the U.S. president set out a host of supposed new safeguards for America's controversial practice of remote-controlled rough justice. But as Neil Macdonald writes, the underlying rationale for drone use has not fundamentally changed. more »
- Ontario man lost in Australian mountains has survival skills
- The sister of an Ontario man who disappeared in Australia's Snowy Mountains nearly two weeks ago says she remains hopeful he will be found, partly because of his training as a Canadian Forces reservist. more »
- McDonald's CEO chastised by 9-year-old B.C. girl
- Dog snared on baited hooks near Vancouver's Grouse Grind trail
- UBC student took 'nose dive into water' after bridge collapse
- Motorists warned to avoid Washington bridge collapse area
- Vancouver man abandons Porsche on B.C. ferry
- VIDEO: Cruise ship chaos kicks off season in Vancouver
- Railway conduit planned to ship oilsands bitumen
- Body found inside burning van in East Vancouver
- Washington police blame bridge collapse on Alberta trucker

