Well, that’s what the headline says. However, if you read the entire article from ABC News, you might form the same the opinion I did; Irresponsible parenting leads to teen’s suicide. How terribly sad that parents are not taking responsibility when it comes to the time their children spend on the internet.
To summarize, we have an innocent 13 year old girl, Megan, suffering from depression. Her parents claim that she has low self esteem but for some reason fail to connect the fact that they are separated with plans to divorce as having anything to do with Megan’s depression. I like to refer to that as burying your head in the sand, or Ostrich syndrome.
For some reason, Megan’s mother allows her to befriend a cute boy on MySpace (keep in mind that Megan is only 13):
When a cute boy befriended Megan on the social networking site MySpace, the two formed a quick connection during their more than month-long relationship.
“She got this e-mail from this boy named Josh Evans,” Tina Meier said.
Evans claimed to be a 16-year-old boy who lived nearby and was home schooled. But what began as a promising online friendship soon turned sour, as compliments turned to insults.
I’m sorry? I guessed I missed the part of what on earth possesses a parent to knowingly allow their 13 year old depressed daughter, already taking medication, to befriend a complete stranger online?! Oh, it gets better:
Evans said he didn’t have a phone and so Megan couldn’t talk to him. But the two continued their communication online, despite some red flags Tina Meier said she saw.
“It was just that nervous mom,” Tina Meier said. She called police to find out if they could determine if a MySpace account was real. They couldn’t.
Hello?!!! Anybody home?!! Now, all of a sudden Tina Meier believes she is intelligent enough to protect other people’s children from online predators and hoaxes? To be fair, this seems to be a pattern in the lives of idiots. I mean, haven’t you seen it before? Parents do a crappy job of raising their own children and then all of a sudden they’re signing up to be foster parents. I always find that so entertaining. I guess they’re mission in life is to see how big of a black mark they can leave on the earth before departing. Sheesh!
Still, all seemed to go well between Megan and Josh until an unsettling message started a tragic chain of events.
“Megan gets an e-mail, or a message from Josh on her MySpace on Oct. 15, 2006, saying, ‘I don’t know if I want to be friends with you any longer because I hear you’re not nice to your friends,’” Tina Meier said.
Someone using Josh’s account was sending cruel messages and Megan called her mother, saying electronic bulletins were being posted about her, saying things like, “Megan Meier is a slut. Megan Meier is fat,” according to the Associated Press.
Well, there never was any Josh in the first place. Only an two worthless parents destroying the life of one beautiful, naive, innocent child.
Tina Meier discovered her daughter’s body in a bedroom closet on Oct. 16, 2006. Megan had hanged herself and died a day later.
But six weeks after Megan’s death, the Meiers learned Josh Evans never existed. A mother, who had learned of the page from her own daughter, told the Meiers a neighborhood mom had created and monitored Evans’ profile and page.
Sad. Two mothers with less common sense than one slug.
“When emotionally vulnerable young people get online, they can be very easily manipulated,” said Nancy Willard, executive director of the Center for Safe and Responsible Internet Use.
Yes, that’s true. However, responsible parenting can prevent tragedies such as this from ever occurring. We need to pray for children we know of personally who have poor excuses for parents.
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Tammi,
Thank you for blogging about this. I was obviously disturbed when I heard about this when it happened. I especially appreciate your assessment of the “victim” parents in this case. I am afraid that in general, only the parents that did on-line tormenting would be held accountable. Thanks for pointing out the responsibility of the victim’s own parents in this tragedy.
Sam
Hi Sam,
Unfortunately, some wonderful parents lose their children to death way before their time through tragic accidents that are completely out of their control.
However, something so simple as to letting a vulnerable teenager establish relationships online with strangers is no accident and is so preventable. I have to admit, it ticks me off when these parents want to help others protect their children by instigating attempts at legislation, when they were completely incapable of protecting their own.
I think Congress wastes too much time the way it is. It is not the government’s job to protect our children. Even when government programs such as social services are designed to protect children, they fail, and fail miserably.
I honestly think that our society is so selfish, that it exhibits itself in parenting. Parents just have better things to do than raise their children. Heck, let’s just let cable television and the internet babysit our kids!
I agree with u so strongly on this Tam..and hey..thanks for stoppin by..feels like ages since I’ve seen your 2 cents at my humble abode girl!:)
Hi Angel,
Which is a compliment to your writing talent. I’m on vacation this week, so bring ‘em on! 
You put out posts faster than I can keep up with them.
Granted we can’t know every single thing our kids are going through at any given time, but these parents were absolutely to blame for this. Good post.
I think the parents deserve some credit, though, for monitoring their daughter’s online activity at all. It’s sad how many parents don’t have any idea what their children are doing online. I agree with you that the parents are responsible to a certain degree, but what about the mother and daughter down the street that so cruelly tricked the girl? They deserve serious prison time, if you ask me.
Hi Warner,
Thank you. I agree, as parents it is impossible to know everything your children may be going through at any given time. These parents seemed to be aware of their daughter’s depression and vulnerable state because she was taking medication for depression. It is my impression that many anti-depressants can cause thoughts of suicide in young people. I wonder if that was ever questioned?
Regardless, making friends online with strangers just seems like a bad idea for children. I find it strange even for adults, though this blogging adventure has opened my eyes to the concept.
Hi Tieki,
I never thought of it as to give the parents, or I believe the mother in this case, credit for monitoring their daughter’s online activity. Too true. Many, possibly most parents have no idea what their teens are doing online. I just find it odd that the mother called the local police to find out if the validity of a MySpace account could be proven and yet continued to let her daughter befriend the stranger.
As for the grown lady down the street … I don’t even have words for that kind of cruelty and stupidity. I’m certain she has issues, but to be that cruel to a young girl who you know is real is criminal.
I’m standing firm on not blaming MySpace.
PS. What are you doing online?
Grrrr… an adult attacking children is beyond my scope of reason.
Just curious as to how many children today have their own computer that is set up in their bedroom. Hubby and I are thinking about adopting (as our babies are grown). We have discussed that there will be no private computer areas in the home.
I suppose we were lucky growing up without the internet. When faced with depression as teenagers, we were forced to interact with real people. Real people can see your tears and your pain.
But, I am with you on the belief that it is not the fault of MySpace. Families need to step up and act responsibly. It is far too easy to let our children grow up aided only with the guidance they receive from the internet.
When I hear a parent claim, “My child is self reliant. When she has a problem, she works thru it by herself.”
I want to tell her that her child is probably receiving guidance from friends (or strangers) on the internet.
Hi CavMom,
Yes, as I stated to Tieki Rae, I cannot fathom what kind of adult would do this to a child. And yes, no matter what our sexualized society would want to promote, 13 years old is a child!
Our daughter was in middle school and high school as the internet became more and more popular. Like your idea, we never had a computer in a private area of the house. There are only three of us, but email passwords were never kept secret from one another. Tieki always knew she’d have to show me whatever she was doing, or access would be gone.
Fortunately, it was never much of an issue for our family. However, we had good Christian friends raising sons, and they were extremely strict with internet access. I respected them so much for that. I think with such easy access to porn on the internet, teenage boys can become addicted and harnessed with a life time problem. Ugh! Frustrating world we live in.
Thanks for stopping in CavMom.
Cyber bullies are no better than pediphiles, their should be public list of who they are and what they have done. Computers should be required to have chips in them that can show who communicated with who on what date, just like phone billing records. There should be a foot print left by the those who threaten others, so that the rest of us can hang them out to dry. The bottom line should be that if you are caught cyber bullying then you should lose your ability to even own or have access to a computer. Computers should be licensed out legal to individuals and groups, and everything should be traceable.
Hi Mary,
I certainly understand your concern and believe cyber bullying can be criminal. However, I am not for more regulations and licensing my personal computer with the government. I think that’s the first step to loosing freedom; kind of like registering guns. To me, those are bad ideas.
Thanks for stopping in.