Online and in firing line: Public figures at the receiving end of cyberbullying

Cyberbullying is associated with school-aged children and teenagers but online abuse has escalated so that politicians, celebrities and their families are being targeted, writes Kelly O’Brien.

THE cyberbullying of public representatives first made headlines in 2012 when Meath TD Shane McEntee took his own life. Two days after his birthday, the 56-year-old father-of-three took his dogs for a walk and never returned.

In the absence of any personal or financial problems, friends and colleagues talked about the intense pressure placed upon Minister McEntee leading up to his death, some citing vitriolic comments on social media as possible factors in his suicide.