A coroner in Warrington Dallas, USA, has turned in his report on the death through suicide of 12-year-old schoolgirl – Jessica Scatterson. Jessica killed herself in April 2017 inside her bedroom after what the coroner believed was “intense social media activity.” The young girl was said to be “emotionally overwhelmed” prior to her death.
According to the UK Guardian, she was allegedly bullied at school and struggled to cope with the pressures of social media, an inquest heard.
Recording a verdict of suicide, the senior coroner for Cheshire, Alan Moore, said: “It is clear to me that Jessica must have felt emotionally overwhelmed at the time she took her own life. The level and the intensity of her activity on social media platforms, particularly in the buildup to her death, cannot have failed to have influenced her thinking, her state of mind.”
Police found disturbing messages and drawings in Jessica’s room, including references to suicide and death.
In April 2016 there had been an alleged incident “relating to Jessica being bullied at school”, the inquest heard. Jessica had come home with scratches on her face and a swollen eye after arguing with another girl, Insp Hannah Friend said. The incident was reported to police, but no action was taken as it was unclear who had started the fight.
It is believed that a lot of young people are passing through a lot of internal conflicts which are aggravated by social media exposures. Many are taking to suicides and according to a recent publication from WHO, 1.53 million – mostly young people – will die in 2019 through suicide – most of victims of cyber-bullying.