‘I just want to die’: TikTok video showing nine-year-old being bullied fuels back-to-school dread on P.E.I.

WARNING: A P.E.I. father is calling on the school board to act after video of his daughter being bullied was posted to TikTok. Maria Sarrouh reports.

Warning: this story contains mentions of bullying and self harm.

“I just want to die,” a nine-year-old girl tells her bully in a video posted to TikTok in late July. The clip shows another child yanking her hair, kicking her, shoving her to the ground and calling her names.

The girl’s parents have asked that her name not be published, because they fear more abuse online and in person. Her father, Alex Butler, is speaking out.

“She’s shut down a lot, barely eating. At night, we all hear her sobbing,” Butler said, adding the assault follows years of bullying. “I’m not even sure if I should be preparing for a new school year, or preparing for a funeral. That’s how serious this is.”

CTV News also received written statements from eight other families who asked not to be named, describing severe bullying, which in at least one case led to stress-related seizures.

Nearly one in three - or 29 per cent - of P.E.I. students in Grades 7 to 12 reported being bullied within a month of being surveyed, about 10 percentage points above the national average, according to the 2024-25 COMPASS survey.

Summerside-area parents say those numbers are playing out at Somerset Consolidated School in the community of Kinkora. In Butler’s case, the harassment began during the school year and spilled into summer break.

Five months earlier, a 13-year-old friend from the same school was hospitalized for self-harm, after what her family describes as persistent verbal abuse. Both girls are neurodivergent, a factor their parents believe makes them more vulnerable.

“No child should have to carry that kind of pain,” Butler said. “And no parent should ever be forced to wonder if the system is doing enough to keep their child alive.”

Butler said his daughter missed two months of classes last year and that he has pleaded with the P.E.I. Public Schools Branch, which oversees all of the province’s English public schools, to act. He says his complaints have been denied and dismissed.

He wants a full audit of past and present bullying cases and consequences for staff who ignore repeated reports of harm.

“It’s a bad system, it’s a broken system, and it needs change, in my opinion,” Butler said.

In an email to CTV News, a branch spokesperson said investigations “are conducted as promptly as possible once information is received” and can lead to “suspension, restorative practices, behaviour plans, or referrals to counselling or support services.” The spokesperson said there are “no changes to policy planned prior to classes resuming” this fall.

The branch’s Safe and Caring Learning Environments Policy allows schools to intervene when bullying that happens off campus or outside school hours threatens safety, learning or relationships within the school.

Guardians of the Children, a North America-wide motorcycle group that advocates against bullying, says requests for help on the Island have increased. Members use “road names.”

“As of late, last two to three years, the phone has been ringing and a lot of personal messages on Facebook,” said Bear, the group’s P.E.I. president.

“I find it a lot easier now, especially (with) social media and kids having access right into your home. It’s a scary world,” added Teddy, the chapter’s child and family liaison.

Green Party MLA Matthew MacFarlane, who represents Borden–Kinkora, says schools need more staff.

“If we have enough resources on the ground in the schools, we’ll be able to address the root causes of bullying and hopefully save more children from these traumatic experiences,” he told CTV News.

He said his party introduced a motion in the legislature calling for more system supports, including full-time counsellors.

In an effort to protect his daughter, Butler has asked the P.E.I. RCMP for help.

Corporal Gavin Moore, media relations officer for the local division, said children under 12 cannot be convicted of a criminal offence, citing Canada’s Criminal Code. However, police still investigate these incidents, and will engage other social agencies, such as Child and Family Services.

If you or someone you know is in crisis, here are some resources that are available:

• Canada Suicide Prevention Helpline (1-833-456-4566)
• Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (1 800 463-2338)
• Crisis Services Canada (1-833-456-4566 or text 45645)
• Kids Help Phone [phone])

If you need immediate assistance, call 911 or go to the nearest hospital.