Amanda Todd's mom advises parents to get internet savvy
CBC News
Posted: Nov 15, 2012 7:05 AM PT
Last Updated: Nov 15, 2012 9:00 PM PT
The mother of B.C. cyberbullying victim Amanda Todd says parents must make themselves aware of the type of trouble their children can get into on the internet.
"We have to teach parents on what's out there and what their kids may possibly be doing, so they can be aware of it," Carol Todd told CBC News host Gloria Macarenko on Wednesday during an exclusive interview at her home in Port Coquitlam, B.C.
"The best place you can talk to your kid is in your car. They have no place to go, and you're driving them, so make up excuses to drive your child ... because they are a captive audience at that time."
Todd's 15-year-old daughter committed suicide in early October. She was the victim of cyberstalking and cyberbullying for two years, and fell into a depression.
"Have open discussions. Don't overreact with them when they share things with you," Carol Todd said when asked what advice she would give to parents.
"Listen with an open mind, because you will get a lot more information from your child. If you get angry, then go somewhere else [away from the child] and be angry. But at the time, try and stay calm, and try and help your child figure out the next step."
Amanda Todd's suicide followed years of blackmail and bullying and sparked an outpouring of grief and concern online. (Facebook)Amanda Todd made a video she posted to YouTube that poignantly tells the story of how she was stalked and bullied, and felt completely alone. The video gained worldwide recognition after her suicide and has had more than six million hits.
Carol Todd said Amanda was not alone, and received a great deal of help and support, but suffered a growing anxiety that ultimately left her inconsolable.
Mom wanted Amanda to get a fresh start
Todd said she and Amanda's father forced Amanda to cut herself off from social media for six months in the hope she could get a fresh start, but it didn't work.
"But it followed her. That’s what the internet does — it follows you. ... is there ever a fresh start when there’s Facebook? I don’t know if there ever is," Carol Todd said.
Todd's video was posted weeks before she took her own life. (Amanda Todd/YouTube)"Amanda was always that out-there kind of kid and she wanted to gather friends. So kids gather 500 friends on their Facebook and really in real life they only have 20 good friends, so the other 480, who are they really? One of the 480 was the cyberstalker."
The stalker had persuaded Amanda to take revealing photos of herself and then later demanded she do it again, but she refused and he posted them on the internet, leading to taunting and bullying from other children at school.
Police are still investigating a case of possible criminal harassment, but have made no arrests so far.
With files from the CBC's Gloria MacarenkoShare Tools
Latest British Columbia News Headlines
- Nanaimo Facebook group takes aim at thieves
- Residents fed up with petty crime in Nanaimo have turned to social media to try to prevents theft. more »
- Bid to re-open Langley Speedway
- A Metro Vancouver committee is considering a proposal to re-open the Langley Speedway that closed almost three decades ago. more »
- Petition looks to rename Victoria Day
- A group that includes some prominent Canadian actors, writers and politicians is calling on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to change the name of Victoria Day. more »
- NDP wants RCMP inquiry into $90K payment to Duffy
- The NDP has asked the RCMP to launch an investigation into the $90,000 payment from the prime minister's former top aide, Nigel Wright, to Senator Mike Duffy in relation to the Senate expense scandal. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Unknown remains found on Dellen Millard's farm
- Police searching the farm of Dellen Millard, the 27-year-old charged with first-degree murder after the remains of Ancaster, Ont., man Tim Bosma were discovered, have found other remains on the property, but it's unclear if they are human or animal. more »
- Canadian on EI shut out amid foreign worker influx
- A jobless Canadian IT professional who is collecting employment insurance is upset because he now suspects several recent jobs he applied for went to temporary foreign workers. more »
- Can the Senate fire a senator?
- An expert on parliamentary rules says the Senate has the power to turf a senator from the chamber, as long as a majority approves the expulsion, and as long as there is cause. more »
- Nahlah Ayed: Vote-wary Iranians mull Ahmadinejad's successor
- Iranians go to the polls in less than four weeks to choose a new president. The reform movement is still smarting from its bitter defeat four years ago, but the jockeying for power is no less intense, Nahlah Ayed reports. more »
- Canadian on EI shut out amid foreign worker influx
- Vancouver man attacked, killed in Costa Rica
- Prince Andrew in Victoria for Highland Games
- East Vancouver residents in 'guerrilla gardening' campaign
- Thief robs, injures woman in wheelchair
- Jeep driver apologizes after stunt kills Edmonton woman
- Public raising funds to buy alleged Rob Ford crack video
- Rob Ford should resign if allegations true, councillors say
- Holmes Hydro can proceed without environmental assessment

