Amanda Todd was not internet obsessed, mother says

The mother of cyberbullying victim Amanda Todd says the teen, whose story led to a worldwide outpouring of anger and grief, touched the heart of most people she met and was not obsessed with being on the internet.

In an Oct. 20 interview with the Vancouver Sun, released Tuesday, Carol Todd, of Port Coquitlam, B.C., said her 15-year-old daughter rarely failed to leave a positive impression on people.

"Amanda touched the heart of most people that she met. She did something. It was something her smile or what she said or her laughter or her humour. She had quirky humour. They always found the side of Amanda that they liked," Todd said.

Amanda Todd committed suicide earlier this month after posting a video on YouTube detailing her plight with bullies and others trying to manipulate her in person and online.

Her exact cause of death has not been revealed.

In the video, using a series of flash cards, Amanda wrote that her downward spiral started after an unknown man convinced her to expose herself online in front of a webcam. He blackmailed her and spread the photos around, destroying her reputation.

Carol Todd said people who ask why her daughter was on the internet so much instead of being engaged in other activities don’t know the whole story.

"She did use some internet stuff on her downtime, but in her whole entire life she figure-skated in our community, she swam competitively in the summer for a couple of years. She did gymnastics, she did soccer, she cheerleaded. For six years, she played ice hockey in our community," her mother said.

"She did as much as any child could and maybe a little more," Todd’s mother said. "It isn't about a child that had nothing to do and sat on her computer in her room 24/7 — that wasn't it."

Todd said her daughter was not ignored or deprived, and had lots of help available to her.

"When she was in need of support, there was counselling available to, there was doctors’ support for her, there was school support available for her. We did everything. We did everything we could."