Cook County declares Oct. 3 as Social Media Safety Day, aiming to protect kids from cyberbullying

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Local leaders declared Oct. 3 the first-ever Social Media Safety Day in Cook County, in an effort to raise awareness about the dangers lurking online.

Among those calling for action on Tuesday was Rose Bronstein, whose 15-year-old son, Nate, took his own life after he was relentlessly cyberbullied by his classmates at the Latin School of Chicago.

"He was threatened with physical and deadly harm, and he received a message directing him to go kill himself," she said. "The phones in our children's pockets have become dangerous weapons. A child who is cyberbullied is four times more likely to engage in self-harm, attempt suicide, or die by suicide."

Bronstein called for social media safety to be part of school curriculum statewide.

Joined by a handful of local elected officials and school administrators, she also called for additional training for educators, and for mandated reporting laws to be updated to include incidents of cyberbullying.