Nate Berkus, host of The Nate Berkus
Show, says gay teens are increasingly being bullied on social
networks.
The 39-year-old Berkus holds the
distinction of being the first openly gay man to host a nationally
syndicated daytime talk show. The interior designer became a
television personality offering design advice to viewers on The
Oprah Winfrey Show.
During
an appearance on CNN's Larry King Live, Berkus advocated
for parents to intervene on behalf of children who are being bullied.
“Everyone knows who the bullies are,
Larry,” Berkus said. “Walk into a third-grade class and it takes
you 2 minutes to identify who is bullying who.”
“You be that hero,” he added. “We
have to intervene.”
And in
a new interview with all-things-television website TVSquad.com,
Berkus said the Internet has allowed bullies to terrorize their
victims at all hours.
“What I think a lot of people don't
realize is that the methodology of bullying has changed because of
technology,” he said, adding that bullying used to be isolated to
the playground.
“Now, it's being posted on the
Internet, it's going viral, it's on YouTube, it's on Facebook, it's
in all the social media and … I don't know that there's anything
worse.”