Mel Greig: 'I confronted the man who called me "MURDERER". His first words stunned me.'

@harry to @melgreigradio: MURDERER.

That was said to me over and over again for two years and that was at the ‘nicer’ end of the scale of abuse.

So what does go through the mind of someone that takes the time to write abuse to a complete stranger? I wanted to find out so I went one-on-one with a troll and within three minutes I realised it wasn’t what I had expected.

A year ago I created ‘Troll Free Day’ a day of awareness to help combat cyber-bullying and it runs on the National Day of Awareness Against Bullying and Violence which is today Friday, March 17.

Listen: Trolling of Melania Trump continues. Enough, says Monique Bowley.

Half of cyber-bullying victims won’t tell anyone, adults are embarrassed and children are fearful that parents will shut down their social media pages. So who are they telling and how are they doing mentally? Suicide is the biggest killer of our young people. We need to talk. They need to know they’re supported.

Harry the Troll was angry after the prank call. He needed me to know that I had “killed” the nurse involved in the prank. He was angry. He didn’t think about my feelings or if I was a real person.

He looked me up on Facebook and wrote “MURDERER”. Did he think that I would see it?

No. He told me that he thought it was a fake account. It was real and I’m real.

A post shared by Mel Greig (@melgreigradio) on Feb 16, 2017 at 9:51pm PST

His first words? “Well I don’t actually think you’re a murderer”. And if we were face to face would he say it? “Absolutely not”.

I told him I was emotionally destroyed and that his message and the hundred others really affected me and took a toll on my life – I nearly ended it. He was horrified.

Trolling is anonymous. They aren’t real and they don’t see you as real. Unless someone says something to your face you can’t listen to it, it can’t affect your life. You need to ignore and block it. Trolling nearly killed me because I was in a bad place and I believed what was being said to me.

Today, I know the difference between an opinion and abuse and I stand with the victims. Today we need conversations, this is the day we stand together.

Parents, please create a safe zone for your children. Let them tell you anything and everything without reaction. You can’t close down their social media accounts. You can’t talk to the teacher and you can’t talk to the bully. Just please open the gate to talk to your child.

One in three children are bullied in some capacity and if your child isn’t being bullied there might be a high chance they are the bully. Just hear them out with no repercussions.

Today is Troll Free Day and today is the day for conversation. Please show your support for cyber-bullying victims and start the conversation by posting a meme from the Troll Free Day website and listen to the Troll Free Day radio special.

If you or a loved one is suffering from depression, Mamamia urges you to contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or Beyond Blue on 1300 224 636.