Biography of Tina Meier

On October 16, 2006, Tina Meier’s life took a devastating turn when she found her 13-year-old daughter Megan Meier hanging from her bedroom closet. All attempts were made to save Megan, but unfortunately Megan passed away on October 17, 2006, just weeks from her 14^th birthday.

Approximately 5 weeks prior to her passing, a 16-year-old boy by the name of Josh Evans, contacted Megan through her MySpace account and they began a friendship.  Tina Meier, allowed Megan to have a MySpace account with many restrictions and under her watchful eye.  Unfortunately, on that fateful day of October 16, 2006, Josh Evans and Megan began to have an argument over MySpace.  A few others joined in and the horrible world of cyberbullying began with messages and bulletins going out to hundreds of kids saying “Megan Meier is a Slut”, “Megan Meier is a fat ass” and the messages went on from there.  Needless to say, Megan was hysterically sobbing and beyond hurt which lead to her suicide.

Six weeks after Megan’s suicide, Tina Meier, was informed that Josh Evans never existed.  In fact, it was Lori Drew, an adult neighbor that lived down the street, her 13-year-old daughter, which was Megan’s former friend and an 18-year-old employee that worked out of Lori Drew’s home. 

It was from this tragic loss that Tina Meier founded the non-profit Megan Meier Foundation in December of 2007.  The foundation’s mission statement is to “Bring Awareness, Education and Promote Positive Change to Children, Parents and Educators in Response to the Ongoing Bullying and Cyberbullying in Our Children’s Daily Environment.”   Tina’s hope is to make a difference through spreading Megan’s story along with Internet safety and help one child at a time until bullying and cyberbullying are non-existent.

Tina Meier worked closely with Senator Scott Rupp and Governor Matt Blunt’s Internet Task Force for the State of Missouri to help pass Senate Bill 818, which went into law on August 28, 2008.  Governor Matt Blunt stated “This new law will ensure that we have the protections and penalties needed to safeguard Missourians from Internet harassment.”

Tina Meier has appeared nationally and internationally on many network television stations, newsmagazines and syndicated talk shows. 

Today Tina Meier travels throughout the United States as a keynote speaker giving presentations on bullying and cyberbullying to K-12 schools, youth rally programs, Internet safety summits, and parent/educator programs.