Sad Story

[Texsox]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071117/D8SVCDSG2.html

DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo. (AP) - Megan Meier thought she had made a new friend in cyberspace when a cute teenage boy named Josh contacted her on MySpace and began exchanging messages with her.

 

Megan, a 13-year-old who suffered from depression and attention deficit disorder, corresponded with Josh for more than a month before he abruptly ended their friendship, telling her he had heard she was cruel.

 

The next day Megan committed suicide. Her family learned later that Josh never actually existed; he was created by members of a neighborhood family that included a former friend of Megan's.

 

Now Megan's parents hope the people who made the fraudulent profile on the social networking Web site will be prosecuted, and they are seeking legal changes to safeguard children on the Internet.

 

The girl's mother, Tina Meier, said she doesn't think anyone involved intended for her daughter to kill herself.

 

"But when adults are involved and continue to screw with a 13-year-old, with or without mental problems, it is absolutely vile," she told the Suburban Journals of Greater St. Louis, which first reported on the case.

 

Tina Meier said law enforcement officials told her the case did not fit into any law. But sheriff's officials have not closed the case and pledged to consider new evidence if it emerges.

 

Megan Meier hanged herself in her bedroom on Oct. 16, 2006, and died the next day. She was described as a "bubbly, goofy" girl who loved spending time with her friends, watching movies and fishing with her dad.

 

Megan had been on medication, but had been upbeat before her death, her mother said, after striking up a relationship on MySpace with Josh Evans about six weeks before her death.

 

Josh told her he was born in Florida and had recently moved to the nearby community of O'Fallon. He said he was homeschooled, and didn't yet have a phone number in the area to give her.

 

Megan's parents said she received a message from him on Oct. 15 of last year, essentially saying he didn't want to be her friend anymore, that he had heard she wasn't nice to her friends.

 

The next day, as Megan's mother headed out the door to take another daughter to the orthodontist, she knew Megan was upset about Internet messages. She asked Megan to log off. Users on MySpace must be at least 14, though Megan was not when she opened her account. A MySpace spokeswoman did not return calls seeking comment.

 

Someone using Josh's account was sending cruel messages. Then, Megan called her mother, saying electronic bulletins were being posted about her, saying things like, "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat."

 

Megan's mother, who monitored her daughter's online communications, returned home and said she was shocked at the vulgar language her own daughter was sending. She told her daughter how upset she was about it.

 

Megan ran upstairs, and her father, Ron, tried to tell her everything would be fine. About 20 minutes later, she was found in her bedroom. She died the next day.

 

Her father said he found a message the next day from Josh, which he said law enforcement authorities have not been able to retrieve. It told the girl she was a bad person and the world would be better without her, he has said.

 

Another parent, who learned of the MySpace account from her own daughter who had access to the Josh profile, told Megan's parents about the hoax in a counselor's office about six weeks after Megan died. That's when they learned Josh was imaginary, they said.

 

The woman who created the fake profile has not been charged with a crime. She allegedly told the St. Charles County Sheriff's Department she created Josh's profile because she wanted to gain Megan's confidence to know what Megan was saying about her own child online.

 

The mother from down the street told police that she, her daughter and another person all typed and monitored the communication between the fictitious boy and Megan.

 

A person who answered the door at the family's house told an Associated Press reporter on Friday afternoon that they had been advised not to comment.

 

Megan's parents had been storing a foosball table for the family that created the MySpace character. Six weeks after Megan's death, they learned the other family had created the profile and responded by destroying the foosball table, dumping it on the neighbors' driveway and encouraging them to move away.

 

Megan's parents are now separated and plan to divorce.

 

Aldermen in Dardenne Prairie, a community of about 7,000 residents about 35 miles from St. Louis, have proposed a new ordinance related to child endangerment and Internet harassment. It could come before city leaders on Wednesday.

 

"Is this enough?" Mayor Pam Fogarty said Friday. "No, not by any stretch of the imagination, but it's something, and you have to start somewhere."

 

[The Critic]

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20071117/D8SVCDSG2.html

MySpace really needs to go away. It looks like the fault in this particular case is on the family, but that site seems to draw out all the weirdos and creeps in the world.

[Kid Gleason]

MySpace really needs to go away. It looks like the fault in this particular case is on the family, but that site seems to draw out all the weirdos and creeps in the world.

 

I don't know about "go away", but they do without a doubt need some regulating. Sure enough they will again take their defiant stance and not do a damn thing...again. Same way they seem to like to protect ALL of their subscribers, including the people knowingly doing wrong.

[RockRaines]

The internet has changed typical schoolyard bullying into something that can reach masses. Anyone who was called a name back in the day knew that the kids at school were cruel, but could always start anew. Now thousands of people can see what people say about you, can see pictures of you. Its a horrible thing, but support systems at home need to step it up. Families and family time are not the same thing it used to be, and its sad.

[Kyyle23]

The worst part of the whole thing is that this was orchestrated by adults, in order to find out what the suicide victim thought of their daughter. Thats just messed up on so many different levels, these "adults" mind-f***ed this girl with some pretty significant mental health problems, and she committed suicide.

[Steve9347]

Now thousands of people can see what people say about you, can see pictures of you.

That's if you decide to put yourself out there and to make your profile public and to let anyone post anything without reviewing it.

 

People are stupid, if you use myspace the right way its a good way to keep up with friends.

[RockRaines]

That's if you decide to put yourself out there and to make your profile public and to let anyone post anything without reviewing it.

 

People are stupid, if you use myspace the right way its a good way to keep up with friends.

I agree, and frankly this wasnt Myspace's fault. The child shouldnt have been out there on a site like this is she was considered suicidal and anti-social.

[Heads22]

Some friends and I created a fake Facebook to prank a friend....

[sox4lifeinPA]

Storing up a weeks worth of defacation and dumping it all over the neighbor's front porch wouldn't be out of line...

 

but the girl's parents need to regulate what the 13 year old was doing.

[LosMediasBlancas]

Storing up a weeks worth of defacation and dumping it all over the neighbor's front porch wouldn't be out of line...

 

but the girl's parents need to regulate what the 13 year old was doing.

 

 

"The next day, as Megan's mother headed out the door to take another daughter to the orthodontist, she knew Megan was upset about Internet messages. She asked Megan to log off."

 

They might not have been regulating it, but it sounds like they were involved, no?

I'm not a parent, but I bet if I had a kid who was depressed, I'd probably have a hard time saying No to them.

[sox4lifeinPA]

"The next day, as Megan's mother headed out the door to take another daughter to the orthodontist, she knew Megan was upset about Internet messages. She asked Megan to log off."

 

They might not have been regulating it, but it sounds like they were involved, no?

I'm not a parent, but I bet if I had a kid who was depressed, I'd probably have a hard time saying No to them.

 

A) There's a major difference between a parent that "asks" and a parents that "tells" a child...a CHILD...to logoff the internet.

mom a.- "billy will you log off the internet"

billy - "..."

 

mom b. "billy you've been on the internet for 2 hours, it is time to get off now"

billy - "..."

 

ok, so without knowing the actions that went behind the parent's words, we don't know HOW involved they were.

 

 

B ) So my opinion would be speculation at best as to their level of involvment.

 

 

C) I'm not a parent (although I feel that way at work) but it seems that's exactly what parenting is, it's telling your kid NO at the most difficult times.

 

 

I love the internets and all, but to anyone that can't self-regulate or has issues coping and dealing with their own struggles, it's like giving a jar of icing to a fat kid.

[southsideirish71]

$99 Spy Software is the answer

 

We spy at work, you should spy at home. Especially with kids.

 

 

[sox4lifeinPA]

not a bad idea

[LosMediasBlancas]

A) There's a major difference between a parent that "asks" and a parents that "tells" a child...a CHILD...to logoff the internet.

mom a.- "billy will you log off the internet"

billy - "..."

 

mom b. "billy you've been on the internet for 2 hours, it is time to get off now"

billy - "..."

 

ok, so without knowing the actions that went behind the parent's words, we don't know HOW involved they were.

B ) So my opinion would be speculation at best as to their level of involvment.

C) I'm not a parent (although I feel that way at work) but it seems that's exactly what parenting is, it's telling your kid NO at the most difficult times.

I love the internets and all, but to anyone that can't self-regulate or has issues coping and dealing with their own struggles, it's like giving a jar of icing to a fat kid.

 

 

We're on the same page here. All I'm saying is it's easy to always blame the parents, but parenting is tough. Clearly the parents were very involved as they got her some counseling and she was on medication. The child was obviously very unstable. So the parents TELL this kid to get off the internet, the kid gets upset, runs to her room and swallows a bottle of pills. Then who feels like the A hole?

It's a freak and tragic incident.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LosMediasBlancas]

$99 Spy Software is the answer

 

We spy at work, you should spy at home. Especially with kids.

 

How excatly would you approach that? Would you tell your kid that you will be monotoring their activity? Or would you spy on them?

[sox4lifeinPA]

How excatly would you approach that? Would you tell your kid that you will be monotoring their activity? Or would you spy on them?

 

talk to them about accountability. it's a fact of life that your actions are monitored by people everyday, why not start them off easy with people who won't (hopefully) freak out if they mess up in small ways (hopefully).

 

 

[southsideirish71]

How excatly would you approach that? Would you tell your kid that you will be monotoring their activity? Or would you spy on them?

 

 

Remember I specialize in electronic surveillance and network security. My house is one large lab. I have an isolated wireless network that my wife can use without surveillance. She however has assisted in generating traffic for me by willingly going on the gauntlet side. Right now I am testing a new traffic reconstruction script that will tap traffic, hit on a keyword, then email me the traffic stream for analysis. So my kids dont have a prayer.

 

You never tap anyone's traffic without their knowledge. To me, if they know they are being watched it helps craft behavior. When my children get to a point that they are on the internet I will give them a talk similar to the dont talk to strangers one. The internet is a dangerous place, filled with bad people. There is knowledge, and good stuff out there. But never forget what lurks behind the shadows. They will know that the network is monitored.

 

The internet at home should be monitored, but parents should discuss this with their kids. Let them know, and then talk to them about it. You cant just put your head in the ground, and you cant just lurk behind the shadows.

 

The people at my company know what I do. They know my role. Its out in the open, and when people get caught they admit that they knew that I was watching, yet they couldnt help themselves.

 

 

 

[Texsox]

Then, Megan called her mother, saying electronic bulletins were being posted about her, saying things like, "Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat."

 

Megan's mother, who monitored her daughter's online communications, returned home and said she was shocked at the vulgar language her own daughter was sending. She told her daughter how upset she was about it.

 

From the articles I read, the parents were very active in monitoring their daughter's on-line stuff. They knew of this new "friend" and were very happy about it.