Cyberbullying survivor hopes to help others
KUSA – A family has rallied for legislation after one of the daughters tried to take her own life due to cyberbullying. Now, that crusade will hopefully prevent more cyberbullies and bring those who torment others to justice.
Kaitlyn Arellano, 14, is excited to start high school in the fall. She’s even more excited that she’ll be able to go to school with her older sister.
“I’m really excited to be with Kiana,” Kaitlyn said.
While Kaitlyn will attend traditional classes, 16-year-old Kiana will attend special-needs classes.
Kiana has been unable to walk or speak since her freshman year in high school when she tried to take her own life. The incident left Kiana brain damaged, confined to a wheelchair and unable to speak. Days after the former cheerleader tried to end her life, her mother found out that Kiana had been the victim of cyberbullies.
“They were taunting her and baiting her [saying] ‘You should kill yourself. I’ll help you,'” Kristy Arellano said.
Kristy says her daughter had been struggling with depression and seemed better after undergoing treatment. However the online attacks were too much for Kiana to take.
“It was a bunch of anonymous posts,” Kristy said.
The anonymous cyberbullies were never caught, partly because there were no state laws to punish them.
“It couldn’t be pursued under harassment and stalking laws,” Kristy said.
Knowing that she wanted to do something, Kristy a cyberbullying survivor reached out to State Representative Rhonda Fields (D-Aurora), hearing that the legislator was working on a bill against cyberbullying.
“We decided early that we wanted to share her story to see if we could help other families and other people,” Kristy said.
Kiana and her family went to readings of the bill at the state capitol. Eventually, the new law passed, and it was named after Kiana.
“She just got a smile on her face,” Kristy recalls of that moment in the capitol.
The law went into effect on July 1, but Kiana’s family knows there is still lots of work to do when it comes to stopping cyberbullying.
“It’s going to take a village to attack this one,” Kristy said.
Children’s Hospital Colorado is offering help to parents and caregivers who are concerned about cyberbullying. The hospital will host the Cyberbullying Social Summit on Wednesday, Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. The free event is a panel discussion where adults can ask questions ranging from recognizing the signs of cyberbullying to how to handle a child who may be initiating the online bullying.
