Anderson Cooper, host of CNN's Anderson
Cooper 360, will host a town hall Friday focusing on the the
bullying epidemic facing gay teens.
The one-hour special, titled Bullying:
No Escape; an AC 360 Special Report with People Magazine and Cartoon
Network, will air Friday on CNN
at 10PM.
“Bullying
is not just in schools anymore,” Cooper told People.
“It is after school, at night, in social media networks and mobile
devices. It's a 24-hours-a-day thing now.”
The special is
expected to focus on the recent rash of teens who committed suicide
after being harassed by other kids for being gay.
“The fact that 11
year olds are hanging themselves is unacceptable,” he added.
Participants
in the panel include author, psychologist and host of his own
television show, Dr. Phil,
Phil McGraw and Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and
Wannabees, which inspired the
film Mean Girls.
People's next
issue will also focus on the issue of bullying. Cartoon Network on
Monday launched its own anti-bullying initiative, Stop
Bullying: Speak Up, which
combines PSAs with an interactive website.