Family’s heartbreaking update after bullied teen’s death

The grieving mum has spoken out after noticing something horrific following the death of her 13-year-old daughter.

The mother of a teenage girl who died by suicide has revealed her bullies continue to taunt her a year after her death.

Corrine Lee Cheu, 13, died in September 2023 after enduring schoolyard and online bullying in Atherton, Far North Queensland.

Her mum, Jodie Fitzgerald told the Saturday Telegraph there were still posts being put up on Instagram from people speaking about bullying “a girl named Lee Chu” on the night she died.

“They told her to go kill herself, called her an ugly rat. And they said she would do it again if she had to,” Jodie revealed.

“And this is only a month ago. And I’m like, ‘can’t they just let my poor daughter rest in peace?’”

Corrine Lee Cheu.

Ms Fitzgerald she had reported the content she found on Corrine’s phone to police.

She has told her daughter’s story as part of the Charlotte’s Wish documentary, which features the tales of four young girls who took their own lives amid relentless bullying.

It comes after the death of Charlotte O’Brien this year, who left a note to her parents pleading for them to raise awareness about the effects of such torment.

The story of Charlotte, 12, rocked the nation and cast a light on how parents can be powerless to protect their children from harmful environments both online and at school.

Ms Fitzgerald told the Telegraph she would let Corrine stay home from school for days but was told by staff they could not stop the bullying “unless they see it”.

Charlotte O’Brien died by suicide on September 9, 2024.

Her daughter “started acting differently” about a month before her death and cried when they drove to school, the grieving mother said.

She died about six weeks before her 14th birthday.

Corrine’s family has started a foundation in her honour seeking to raise awareness about bullying and cyber bullying.

In a letter, Ms Fitzgerald said the family wanted to “shine a light” on the subject “after the discovery of the horrific bullying and torment Corrine had been suffering through”.

According to a 2019 Headspace survey, 53 per cent of young Australians experienced cyber-bullying.

Anthony Albanese and his government are proposing an age limit for social media platforms. Picture: Clare Armstrong

Another one in three Australians have experienced online trolling, and 21 per cent of teens have reported being harassed on the internet.

The Albanese government is set to introduce legislation that would set an age limit of 16 for using social media next week.

The legislation would create a new definition of social media in response to concerns over cyber bullying and mental health for young people.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese last week said the proposed laws were aimed at stopping the “harm” social media was inflicting on Australian children.

“This one is for the mums and dads … They, like me, are worried sick about the safety of our kids online. I want Australian families to know that the government has your back,” he said.

However, the proposed social media laws have raised privacy concerns primarily due to requirements for age verification.

These may necessitate users uploading official documents like IDs to prove their age, increasing the risk of sensitive data exposure. Critics also worry about the potential for misuse of collected data, with platforms gaining access to detailed personal information.