''Cyberbully'' (stylized as ''cyberbu//y'') is a

teen drama In film and television show, television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or docudrama, semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humour, humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional te ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a Terrestr ...

that premiered on ABC Family (now Freeform) on July 17, 2011. The channel collaborated with '' Seventeen'' magazine to make the film, stating that they hoped it would "delete digital drama" in a press release. The film tells the story of a teenage girl who is bullied online. The film was released on DVD on February 7, 2012.

Plot

Taylor Hillridge is a teenage girl living in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

with her

single mother A single parent is a person who has a child or children but does not have a spouse or live-in partner to assist in the upbringing or support of the child. Reasons for becoming a single parent include death, divorce, break-up, abandonment, bec ...

Kris and younger brother Eric. For her 17th birthday, Kris gifts Taylor a laptop. Taylor is thrilled at the prospect of being able to use the internet without the constant supervision of her mother. Meanwhile, Taylor's crush, Scott, asks her to an upcoming school dance, to which she accepts. While her friend Cheyenne Mortenson is happy for her, their other friend Samantha Caldone is apprehensive of Scott due to a previous bad experience dating his friend. When Taylor refuses to let Eric use her laptop, he vengefully hacks her account on a social media site called Cliquesters and posts a sexually explicit message. Taylor also meets a boy named James on the site whom she is initially interested in, but he posts a status dishonestly asserting that he had sex with Taylor and that she gave him

gonorrhea Gonorrhoea or gonorrhea, colloquially known as the clap, is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium ''Neisseria gonorrhoeae''. Infection may involve the genitals, mouth, or rectum. Gonorrhea is spread through sexual c ...

. These incidents lead Taylor to become the victim of

bullying Bullying is the use of force, coercion, Suffering, hurtful teasing, comments, or threats, in order to abuse, aggression, aggressively wikt:domination, dominate, or intimidate one or more others. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. On ...

by her peers both online and at school, the main instigator of which being popular student Lindsay Fordyce. Her newfound reputation as a "whore" leads her friends to begin distancing themselves from her, as well as Scott uninviting her to the dance. Overcome with depression, Taylor posts a video on Cliquesters alluding to suicidal ideation. After viewing the video, Samantha races to Taylor's house and finds her trying to commit

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

by overdosing with pills. She is stopped when first responders and Kris arrive, and is subsequently sent to a hospital. Learning of the severity of the harassment Taylor received, Kris confronts the school system and state legislation to prevent others from experiencing cyberbullying as well. At her mother's behest, Taylor attends a support group for fellow victims of cyberbullying. Also in attendance is Caleb, a gay classmate of hers who is targeted for his sexuality. Despite her initial reluctance, Taylor finds the sessions largely helpful. Samantha later guiltily confesses to Taylor that she was the one who created the "James" profile in an attempt to protect Taylor from Scott, much to Taylor's despair. When word spreads through the school of this, Samantha becomes a victim of cyberbullying herself. Taylor suggests that Samantha begin attending the support group as well, and the girls rekindle their friendship. Upon returning to school, Taylor and Samantha are harassed by Lindsay in the cafeteria. Samantha urges Taylor to ignore Linday's comments, but Taylor refuses, finally reprimanding Lindsay for her cruel behavior in front of the rest of the student body. Other students speak up to voice their own contempt towards Lindsay, and celebrate as she storms off in humiliation. Meanwhile, the state legislature passes a bill criminalizing cyberbullying, which is signed into law in honor of Taylor and all victims of bullying.

Cast

Reception

The film received a generally positive review from

Common Sense Media Common Sense Media (CSM) is an American nonprofit organization that reviews and provides ratings for media and technology with the goal of providing information on their suitability for children.

, who gave the film a 4 out of 5 star rating, stating "''Cyberbully'' is a great jumping-off point for talking to teens about the very real dangers that exist online. The movie does a good job of working in most of the hot-button issues related to this topic, including the anonymity that exists online, the legal loopholes that enable cyberbullying, the social pressure on teens to partake in digital relationships, and the emotional devastation that bullying inflicts on its victims and their families." ''Cyberbully'' gained 3.4 million views on its official release date. It was TV's number-one telecast for the 8-10 p.m. time slot and became the week's number-one TV film, and the second most viewed TV film of the 2010 and 2011 season.

Promotion

ABC Family created "badges" that people could add to their profile pictures on sites like

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

and

Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...

; the badge says " eletedigital drama!". On July 14, 2011, ABC Family hosted a live event called "The Rally to Delete Digital Drama" in Glendale, California. The rally included appearances from

Shay Mitchell Shannon Ashley Garcia "Shay" Mitchell (born April 10, 1987) is a Canadian actress and entrepreneur. She rose to prominence for her role as Emily Fields in the mystery thriller drama series ''Pretty Little Liars'' (2010–2017), which earned h ...

Tyler Blackburn Tyler Jordon Blackburn (born October 12, 1986) is an American actor, singer and model. He is best known for playing List of Pretty Little Liars characters#Caleb Rivers, Caleb Rivers on the hit Freeform (TV channel), Freeform series ''Pretty Little ...

, Daren Kagasoff, Skyler Samuels, Grey Damon, Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, Emily Osment, and more. Emily Osment performed her song "Drift", as well as other songs. There was also an autograph signing and gift giveaways.

Music

Emily Osment released a song called "Drift" which was featured in the film. It was released on July 12, 2011. The film also features " Breathe Me" by Sia. Television spots of the film contain the song " Perfect" by

Pink Pink is a pale tint of red, the color of the Dianthus plumarius, pink flower. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, p ...

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{ABC Family Original Movies 2011 television films 2011 drama films 2011 films 2010s American films 2010s Canadian films 2010s English-language films 2010s high school films 2010s teen drama films ABC Family original films American drama television films American high school films American teen drama films Canadian drama television films Canadian high school films Canadian teen drama films English-language teen drama films Films about cyberbullying Films about school bullying Films directed by Charles Binamé Films set in St. Louis Films shot in Montreal