MTV will produce an original TV movie focusing on the issue of bullying as part of its multi-year A Thin Line anti-bullying campaign.
The as-yet-titled movie will be based on the true-life story of Abraham Biggs, a 19-year-old who battled bipolar disorder and ultimately webcast his suicide after being egged on by a digital mob. MTV made the announcement during a White House Conference on Bullying Prevention.
Additionally, the network today announced that it has assembled a new coalition to address discrimination-based bullying online.
"As the White House spotlights bullying, we're proud to announce two new ways we're furthering our efforts to stop an issue that touches virtually every young person," said Stephen Friedman, General Manager of MTV in a statement. "We hope that by bringing Abraham Biggs' heartbreaking story to our audience, we can raise consciousness to fight digital abuse."
Additionally, MTV Thursday began rolling out a series of new cyberbullying and digital discrimination PSAs for distribution on-air and online, which encourage bystanders to support their friends, to connect victims of digital abuse to resources, and to drive home the serious impact digital words can have in real life.
The network has also teamed civil rights organizations NAACP, the National Council of La Raza, the Anti-Defamation League, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, GLAAD, The Trevor Project and the Asian American Justice Center to fight bullying and intolerance online, the network said.
