MySpace Hoax Victim Kills Herself
 

I haven't seen this addressed here yet, but I imagine most have heard about it. Any discussion? Should MySpace be responsible? How about the parents, especially the family who "created" Josh? Is this an infringement of Free Speech, or is it more like yelling, "fire!" in a crowded theatre?

"Reforms urged after MySpace hoax's victim kills herself

By Betsy Taylor
Associated Press
from pantagraph.com

DARDENNE PRAIRIE, Mo. — 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...

'''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." (continued)

I absolutely think the mother that created "Josh" should be held at least partially responsible.

How damn cruel can one person be?:mad:

I saw an interview with Megan's parents on the Today show yesterday. It was the first I had heard of this story.

Before anyone here blames Megan's parents for allowing her to have a MySpace account (someone left a message about this on the link honey gave us), they said on Today that Megan and her parents created the account together, but only the parents knew the password to log on. So Megan couldn't access MySpace without one of her parents there. At first I thought, "Wow, talk about heli-parenting!" But then I realized that Megan was a 13 year-old girl on anti-depressants... and her parents probably realized she needed to be protected more than (probably) most teens.

This is such a sad story. I can't imagine that a mom would be so wrapped up in what someone might be saying about her daughter online that she would create a fictitious character in order to spy. Now, THAT's a helimom.

To address Honey's questions, no, I don't think MySpace should be held accountable at all. I think all responsibility falls on the family who created "Josh".

I realize that people create online identities that are far from the truth, and people will continue to do so. I guess I don't really see the harm in that except when those identities are created solely to cause someone else pain.

I can't believe the parent would get involved. "To see what Megan was saying about her child"? I don't have a myspace. Couldn't they have just seen Megan's postings? Did they have to create a boy to flirt and lead the girl on?

I hope they never have a peaceful night of sleep the rest of their life. That's not enough, but it's something.

That is the most disgusting story I have read in a long time.

That the neighbor/mother created the ficticious account with her daughter and then toyed with a depressed 13 year old's emotions is just awful. I can just imagine the mom and daughter sitting together, coming up with flirtatious things to say as "Josh," then laughing when the poor victim responded.

Poor parenting in the extreme! This takes heli-parenting to a new low.

They may not be legally responsible, but they have some moral responsibility in the suicide, and I hope they regret their actions for life. The weight of a child's death on your concience would be a heavy weight to bear.:mad:

I don't even see this as heli-parenting, say what you will about heliparents, in all their variations I've never heard them described as deliberately mean to other children.

This chick actually strikes me more as a Dina Lohan type - wants to be her daughter's "buddy" instead of parent, so she thinks it's "cool" to get on MySpace and screw with someone's head. How could she have known that her daughter was having problems w/ Megan unless her daughter told her and was fully in on the charade?

Good lord, I can't imagine what her parents are going through. Would they at least have a civil action against that woman for willful infliction of distress or something like that? Can't one of those 1-800 lawyer-types find some way to get at her somehow?

The Mother reminds me of the Mom from "Mean Girls"-- doing almost anything to be considered the "cool" mom. And she should be held responsible for what she did.

I think that sometimes people don't fully consider the repurcussions of what they do/say online because being online can sometimes shield us from visually seeing the other person's reaction. I think that this should change -- cyberbullies (like the creators of "Josh") need to be more consciencious of what another person may go through because of your joke, scheme, etc. When you intentionally set out to screw with someone, you're responsible for what happens (with some limits). For this girl's death, I think the Josh-creators (adult or of any age when you know better than this) should be at least partialy liable.

I used the term heli-parenting because she used the excuse that she was trying to find out what Megan was saying about her daughter on line to others, and that is why she used a ficticious my space account, to gain Megan's trust. It's sick if she truly believes that the ends justified the means in this case.

I think you are more on the mark that she was trying to be her kid's "friend".

This story ranks up there with another extreme case of "parent from hell" - the cheerleader mom in Texas.

Would you "blame" an ex-boyfriend for dumping a girl who committed suicide as a result?

It's not the same thing. This was an adult perpetrating a deliberate and cruel hoax on a child that she knew to be unstable.


And in answer to your question, if both parties in question were adults, no I wouldn't blame an ex.

The thing is...the mother who created "Josh" didn't want Megan to kill herself. I don't think that was the desired result. What they can charge her with might be limited. Also, she has to live the rest of her life knowing this hoax caused a girl to take her own life.


ETA: I am not saying what the mother did was right, by any means.

I doubt the adult knew the actual extent to which the child was unstable - I doubt anyone did, quite honestly, or different actions would have been taken.

Also, being cruel is not the same as causing someone's suicide - this is beside the fact that many breakups end with one person intentionally inflicting hurt on another. I think the analogy rings far more true than you give it credit.

Child vs. Adult is one thing, but that's also part of my point - we're overreacting because of the adult's involvement, when we should be focusing on the painful and preventable loss of a child who likely did not receive the treatment, support or attention she needed.