The desperately sad story of 16-year-old Elle Trowbridge, who took her own life in April, exposes once again the pernicious world of cyber-bullying and the devastation caused by cruel and vicious comments.
Elle's mother, Mandy Trowbridge, has taken the courageous step of speaking out about the dangers facing our young people who are frequently abused online by unfeeling bullies using a range of apps.
In the Irish News yesterday, this heartbroken mother explained how her daughter was targeted when she was just 11 years of age. She began to self harm and was diagnosed with depression aged 14.
Elle had a caring and supportive family and her school, Drumragh Integrated College in Omagh, was praised for its focus on her wellbeing.
However, in February this year Elle was distraught after being sent an exceptionally callous abusive message on an app.
For the vast majority of people it is difficult to read the despicable messages which had been sent to this young girl and understand the mindset of those who wrote and posted them.
Mandy Trowbridge is calling on parents to take responsibility for their children and is now campaigning to make cyberspace safe for our young people.
It is alarming to learn that Elle's disturbing experience at the hands of the cyber-bullies is far from unusual.
According to the PSNI, officers receive reports almost on a daily basis of this type of online abuse.
As Detective Chief Inspector Stephen Wilson points out, much of this appalling behaviour does not meet the threshold of a criminal offence.
But we know what the impact of these toxic messages can have on a vulnerable teenager, the damage they can cause to confidence and self-esteem.
Clearly, the online bullies believe they are faceless and untouchable, but that should not be the case.
They need to know they can be traced and will face repercussions for their loathsome behaviour.
There is also an onus on social networking sites to take this problem seriously and clamp down on the bullies using their platforms.
