8 years after death of Amanda Todd, her mother speaks out in new cyberbullying documentary

Coquitlam-area teen Amanda Todd took her own life eight years agoafter being bullied online and now, on the anniversary of her death, a new film featuring her mother is being released that sheds light on the life-altering impacts of cyberbullying in Canada.

Dark Cloudpremieres online Oct. 10, the same day Amanda Todd took her own lifein 2012, after posting a video on YouTube saying she had been blackmailed by an online predator. The date also coincides with World Mental Health Day.

Since her daughter's death, Carol Todd has worked to raiseawareness about mental health issues and depression among teens. The film follows her asshe connects with parents, victims, and expertsto educate viewers aboutonline harassment.

"I never thought I would be in this position where eightyears later I would be able to have a voice and Amanda would still have a voice," said Carol Todd Friday on The Early Edition. "It keeps me going."

Amanda Todd was 15 in the video she posted online before her death. In it, sheheld up flashcards explaining how she sank into depression afer beingtaunted and physically attacked at school.

Her mother has watched that video countless times.

"You are a mama bear forever," said Carol Todd, adding she hopes sharing what happened to her child prevents it from happening to someone else's.

Dutch citizen Aydin Coban was convicted and sentenced in 2017 for fraud and blackmail in a series of cases of cyberbullying involving young girls and gay men. He's serving 11 years in a Dutch prison.

Coban's lawyer said earlier his year his client wants to fight Canadian chargesagainst him in connection to the Port Coquitlamteen extortion, criminal harassment, child luring and child pornography in a B.C. court. But Coban has been unable to obtain valid travel documents from the Canadian government.

• Dutch man charged in Amanda Todd case says he wants to come to Canada for trial

The documentary also bringstogether other victims of cyberbullying, as well as experts who share helpful resources for people currently be victimized online.

Watch the trailer for Dark Cloud, available online Oct. 10:

Shaheen Shariff, an anti-bullying and social media expertwho appears in the film, said she would also like to see children receive more education in school about cyberbullying and the mental health impact.

This, she told CBC News, can be woven into the curriculum by using art and music classes to vent frustrations creatively, and by working in mental health and suicide statistics into math courses.

She also said it is critical for adults to check themselves and see what kind of onlinebehaviour they are engaging in.

"My biggest concern now, in 2020, is that adults are engaging in a lot of cyber bullying," said Shariff.

She said current conversations about race, sexuality and politics happening in the world right now are contributing to a heated online environment that is not setting the best example for young people.

"The modelling by adults has been significantly damaging for kids becausethey internalize and normalize it," said Shariff."We need to promote leadership among kids."

According to aStatistics Canada report, nearly one in five internet users aged15to29reported having been cyberbullied or cyberstalked.

Being a victim of either cyberbullying or cyberstalking raises the risk of having a reported emotional, psychological or mental health condition and a low level of trust in people at school, work, or in the neighbourhood, the report says.

Cyberbullying victims generally reported mental health and trust issues, while cyberstalking victims were more likely to have taken steps to protect themselves from becoming victims of crime.

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In 2013, Carol Todd started the Light Up Purple campaign and every year since, on World Mental Health Day,world landmarks and public buildings are lit in her late daughter'sfavourite colour to spark conversations about mental illness.

Dark Cloud's release on this date is fitting.

The filmis aTelusOriginals documentary and will be available Oct. 10 for free on Telus.com and the company's YouTube channel.

If you are a young person experiencing bullying in B.C., you can contact theYouth Against Violence Line at 1-800-680-4264 and speak one-on-one with a support worker 24 hours a day, sevendays a week.

To hear the complete interview on The Early Edition with Carol Todd andShaheen Shariff, tap the audio link below: