I know sometimes pranks go to far and I think this one went too far. While it is ok to do a prank on someone you have to think how the other person may react. I would stay away from pranks that would make a person who loves you feel that you have taken your own life. That is over board in my opinion. I feel for this family knowing that they lost a son over a prank.
When this case came out there was a surprising number of people on the internet who felt the 13 year old girl who did the prank should not be held accountable. I think that by not holding them accountable for their actions, we don't teach them that actions can hurt others. On another note, social media has been causing a large number of suicides. Surely something can be done about this, such as teaching our children caution and common sense when it comes to things they see/do online.
KN/Kyrroeth,
Yes, this is horrible and it just went too far. That is the problem with adolescents and this type of activity, they don't have the ability to think things through. That said, that doesn't mean they shouldn't be held accountable. Which is why I agree with Nightlain, we need to hold them accountable. Not to the point where we ruin their young lives, but they and others need to know actions such as these are unacceptable. Also, as parents we absolutely need to monitor our children and make sure they are making wise decisions… both in what they are posting and the actions they are considering because of those posts.