MTV and Cartoon Network will look to take up the fight on against bullying this week with separate anti-bullying initiatives.
MTV has tapped pop singer Ke$ha to serve as its celebrity ambassador for its “Love is Louder” anti-bullying social media campaign. The campaign, in partnership with The Jed Foundation, promises to “raise the volume” on themes on love and tolerance, according to the network.
The network will even incorporate an anti-bullying message into an upcoming episode of its new series Ke$ha: My Crazy Beautiful Life debuting tonight (April 23) in which the pop star comforts a fan who was a victim of bullying.
The network will encourage viewers to submit photos with the words “Love Is Louder” to its Facebook site and Twitter via hashtag #loveislouder. Ke$ha will then select photos that will be featured at the end of an episode of her show, according to MTV.
Cartoon Network, which over the past three years has successfully championed the fight against bullying as part of its “Stop Bullying: Speak Up” campaign, will air this Sunday (April 28) an original documentary co-produced with CNN titles The Bully Effect.
The special will be telecast commercial free and edited from CNN’s original version to fit the sensibilities of its 6 to 11 target kids viewer. The special -- which chronicles the experiences of 14-year old bullying victim Alex Libby, whose emotional well-being was restored after someone spoke up about the abuse he received as a 12-year old at the hands of his peers -- will be followed by a live online Q&A for students, parents and educators with bullying prevention expert Rosalind Wiseman.
With more than one-third of middle and high school students reported being bullied and 4% of students reported being bullied online, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, Cartoon Network executives believe that the issues needs to remain in the spotlight.
“While bullying typically receives national attention during October’s National Bullying Prevention month, it’s a year-round issue faced by our audiences and their families,” said Alice Cahn, Cartoon Network Vice President of Social Responsibility. “Airing The Bully Effect now is a chance to get needed information to kids, parents and educators.”
