What started as some petty online drama for an 11-year-old girl has blown up to be a huge problem for her and her family. After posting profanity-ridden rants to video hosting websites like YouTube, Jessica Leonhardt, who went by the code name Jessie Slaughter, has become the target of one of the largest groups of Internet pranksters; the website 4Chan.org. In essence, this group of users target particular videos and makes fun of them. The targeting has gotten so bad, Leonhardt is now under police protection due to receiving numerous death threats.
After a rumor was posted on the Internet prankster’s site 4Chan.org about Jessie Slaughter and the lead singer of a band called “Blood on the Dancefloor” having some kind of a relationship, the 11-year-old fired back with a YouTube video issuing threats such as:
“If you can’t stop hating, you know what? I’ll pop a glock in your mouth and make a brain slushy.”
The video, one of Jessie’s many, contained language that no 11-year-old should be saying, let alone even know of, got picked up by 4Chan.org, one of the Internet’s largest and powerful online message boards and the blogging website, Tumblr.
Members of these websites started picking on the 11-year-old by harassing her online and even spreading her real name, phone number, address and links to all her social networking accounts throughout the web. It soon blew up and became one of the Internet’s most publicized videos.
But as the drama grew, the harassment become more serious with the girl’s home receiving pranks calls, death threats, and having her videos spread all over the web. After reporting this to the police, the family is under police protection as they investigate the threats and how to keep the family safe.
“We’ve had may, many death threats… We’re afraid to leave the house. We’re afraid to go to bed. We’re sleeping in shifts, my husband and I am… I want my life back. I want my daughter’s life back” said Jessi’s mother, Dianne Leonhardt.
This example in particular is an excellent example of why parents should be wary of what their kids are doing online. Many times, children don’t understand the possible severity of their actions, such was the case in this situation. To protect your kids, make sure you have conversations with them about proper online etiquette and make sure you invest in some good parental control software and know exactly what your kids are doing online.
(Via Gawker)
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