Heartbroken mum’s response to her 12-year-old’s death was shocking but it was the only way to shame these callous bullies
It is astonishing to think how much our lives now revolve around social media. We spend hours every week staring at a tiny screen, posting updates, linking to news stories and scrolling through our friends’ feeds to discover what they’ve been up to.
No political campaign will ever get off the ground now without a catchy hashtag and we can follow every move our favourite people make through our smartphones and tablets.
And if we’re ever stuck for words, there are now thousands of emojis to choose from.
Think back 10 or 15 years – it’s difficult to remember how we raised awareness of issues before all-consuming social networks like Twitter and Facebook transformed the way we communicate.
There is much debate about the rights and wrongs of social media, yet there is no doubt it is a powerful platform on which to shame wrongdoers, as illustrated in an incredibly sad story I read last week.
Cheryl Hudson’s son Andy Leach was driven to suicide by bullies and took his own life aged just 12.
The Mississippi schoolboy was discovered by his 15-year-old brother.
The sixth-grader, whom Cheryl described as her “pride and joy”, was said to have been teased, tormented and threatened.
The heartbroken mother posted a photograph of her son lying in a coffin.
Some might feel that she’s gone too far.
But this poor woman has lost her son in the worst way imaginable. She must be beside herself with grief and also feel anger and a desire to do something to expose the devastating consequences of bullying in the hope that it will help other children.
If that shocking picture helped to save just one child, many will feel it was the right thing to do.
Cheryl, who had reported the bullying to school many times, now plans to continue her campaign.
Sharing the last ever image of her son must have been heartbreaking for her. But she is determined to make bullies think twice about their actions and the devastating effects they can have.
I love to see people rallying round their communities. Fed-up locals in the village of Wimblington in Cambridge have created a campaign to tackle dog fouling, and it’s causing a real stir online.
It’s the brainchild of resident Amanda Carlin. When dog mess is reported, she marks it on an interactive map of her village using an emoji.
The reports are then passed on to the local council, or cleaned up by villagers.
Good on Amanda for showing some initiative and kickstarting a fantastic campaign.
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