Nate’s Story
Nate Bronstein was a teenager who loved sports, playing the drums, and hanging out with his friends. He was a wonderful soul and destined for great things. Tragically, the 15-year-old Chicagoan died by suicide on January 13, 2022 after facing vicious attacks, harassment and threats of physical harm by a group of classmates/teammates over text and social media, including messages directing Nate that he should die and to “Go Kill Yourself!”
Across the 50 states, there are similar tragic stories of dozens upon dozens of digitally connected 10–19-year-olds who have committed suicide after being cyberbullied inside and outside of school over their digital devices. A growing body of both real world and clinical evidence show that youth who experience cyberbullying through social media and other digital products face a measurable increased risk of suicidal thoughts and attempts.
Nate’s legacy and those of other cyberbullied teens live. To help prevent other families from enduring similar tragedy by the loss of a child in the same way, Buckets Over Bullying, a grassroots-based, non-profit initiative, was formed. Buckets Over Bullying officially launched during National Bullying Prevention Month in October 2022 to educate and advocate an end to cyberbullying and the many ill effects it is having on youth and their families as the problem continues to escalate in our society.
