‘Snapchat Bullies Threatened My Teenage Son And Pushed Him To Take His Life’

A mom believes her teenage son took his own life because he was bullied on Snapchat.

Jack Parker, 15, was found dead in the woods near his home in Astley, Wigan on July 28.

His mother says the schoolboy was bullied on Snapchat, where he was harassed and threatened.

A Snapchat message sent to his ex girlfriend said, “Your boyfriend is blowing himself up xoxo Let him know.”

A screenshot of the message was viewed by the Manchester Evening News.

Jack’s ex-girlfriend said he called her, moments before he took his own life, and read a series of messages she had received on Snapchat.

The messages were not saved because, unless the recipient takes a screenshot, they disappear after being read.

But Jack’s ex-girlfriend told his family that he received threats to come to his house and shoot him in the head.

Before taking his own life, Jack also suggested that he be chased.

He also sent another message, saying, “I don’t fight to be honest. I’m not that kind of person.”

In the voice messages he sent to his ex, it is clear that he too was in turmoil from the relationship, the block and was “stressed” about returning to school in September.

He told the girl in a voice message: “You don’t understand how shit I feel.

“But you don’t have to worry because everything will turn out for me soon enough.”

Jack’s mother, Karen Robinson, 43, a teaching assistant, told MEN: “I want this to come out if it helps another child not be bullied.

“I don’t want another family to go through this. It’s horrible.

“I think he was really struggling with the block and not seeing his girlfriend and the amount of homework she was doing.

“I knew he was a little down because of his girlfriend. He said he couldn’t focus on homework. He said he couldn’t do it.”

The mother of two added: “Thinking about what he had done to himself, he was threatened. He was scared.

“He wasn’t eating properly and he wasn’t sleeping properly. I would ask him if he was being bullied and he would say ‘it’s me’ eck ‘.

“He told me about his girlfriend, how upset he was and his difficulties with homework.

“He was very reluctant to go out. He never did. Now I understand if he was bullied because he never wanted to.”

Asked if she thought bullying caused Jack’s death, Karen replied, “I think what drove him. I think the thought of someone coming home scared the hell out of him.”

Jack, who was 6 feet 3 inches tall, stayed home and played with his XBox and had no other hobbies, his mother said.

The schoolboy’s distraught mom has launched an online petition to raise the minimum age for Snapchat from 13 to 18.

On the petition Karen writes: “He was a loving, funny, intelligent and also very sensitive boy.

“So sensitive that he couldn’t tell me about the constant bullying he received from people on Snapchat and other social media.

“Due to the age of the bullies, there are no consequences!”

Greater Manchester police said there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death.

The officers are now preparing a report for the coroner.

The Bolton Coroners court confirmed that an investigation into the death had been opened, although the date of the hearing has not yet been set.

A Snapchat spokesperson said, “Nobody deserves to be bullied and our hearts go out to Jack’s loved ones.

“We designed Snapchat as a place that prioritizes friendship, and the default settings prevent someone from receiving a message from an account they haven’t added as a friend.

“Any Snapchatter who gets bullied can easily report it to us directly in the app and our security team will do their best to help.

“We also provide in-app mental health support with a feature called Here For You, where Snapchatters can get expert advice from organizations like Young Minds, Samaritans, and Diana Award.”

The Samaritans is available 24/7 if you need to speak. You can contact them for free by calling 116 123, email [email protected], or by visiting the website to find the nearest branch. You are important.