When Mel Greig was struggling with depression, she actually started to believe what the invisible internet trolls were saying to her.
Writing on the Wave FM website, Greig says she let them control her thought process, “and I’m is an adult with resilience. So it shouldn’t be too hard to understand why suicide is the biggest killer of our young people.
“One in five children are being cyberbullied and they don’t have the resilience or understanding of how to deal with it.”
Mel Greig is supporting the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence this Friday, March 17, and has created Troll Free Day as an initiative with the Bully Zero Australia Foundation.
These effects are chilling, as you can see on the video that Greig has put together as part of her campaign.
“We need to be kind to one another and teach our kids to do the same,” she says.
Trolling is when a user anonymously abuses or intimidates others online for fun. It’s online behaviour that provokes and is offensive.
“Telling someone to kill themselves is not an opinion — it is abuse and it is illegal. It is illegal to use online services to menace, harass or cause offence. Remember this: “Freedom of speech does not equate to freedom to abuse,”
she writes.As part of the campaign, the Daily Telegraph’s RendezView page will be the first opinion site in Australia to take a stand in the fight against trolling by disabling its comments for 24 hours. Other sites are expected to follow suit to support the campaign.
Read Mel’s full article on her website.
If you or someone you know needs help, phone Lifeline on 13 11 14.