ABC Family Announces New Movie, 'Cyberbully,' 7/17

Online fun and games turn destructive when a teenage girl is digitally harassed in the two-hour ABC Family original movie, "Cyberbully," starring Emily Osment ("Hannah Montana"), Kelly Rowan ("The OC") and Kay Panabaker ("No Ordinary Family"), premiering Sunday, July 17 at 8:00PM ET/PT. "Cyberbully" is being presented as part of a campaign by ABC Family and Seventeen magazine to bring awareness to the youth issue of digital abuse and bullying. The initiative, Delete Digital Drama, will launch this summer on the network and in the magazine's August 2011 issue.

"Cyberbully" follows Taylor Hillridge (Osment), a teenage girl who falls victim to online bullying, and the cost it takes on her as well as her friends and family. Taylor is a pretty 17-year-old student dealing with her parents' recent divorce and painfully aware of her lower social status in high school. When her mom gives her a computer for her birthday, Taylor is excited by the prospect of going online to meet new friends without her mother always looking over her shoulder. However Taylor soon finds herself the victim of betrayal and bullying while visiting a popular social website. Obsessed with the damaging posts, she begins to withdraw from her family and friends, including her life-long best friend, Samantha Caldone (Panabaker). Tormented and afraid to face her peers at school, Taylor is pushed to a breaking point. It is only after this life-changing event that Taylor learns that she is not alone - meeting other teens, including a classmate, who have had similar experiences. Taylor's mom, Kris (Rowan), reels from the incident and takes on the school system and state legislation to help prevent others from going through the same harrowing ordeal.

The network will debut a PSA during "Cyberbully" featuring star Emily Osment. In the public service announcement, Osment will direct viewers to StompoutBullying.org, providing a direct resource for viewers and readers to reach out for help, if necessary. For those who are in need of immediate help/assistance, they can go to the website or call the Stomp Out Bullying hotline at 855-790-HELP.

"Cyberbully" was written by Teena Booth and directed by Charles Binam. The executive producers are Michael Prupas and Joel Rice.

Part of the Disney/ABC Television Group, ABC Family is distributed in over 98 million homes. ABC Family features programming reflecting today's families, entertaining and connecting with adults through relevant stories about today's relationships, all told with diversity, passion, humor and heart. ABC Family's programming is a mix of network defining original series and original movies, quality acquired series and blockbuster theatricals. ABC Family is also the destination for annual Holiday events with "13 Nights of Halloween" and "25 Days of Christmas." ABC Family. A New Kind of Family.

 

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