Shocking twist in death of young girl, 14, who took her own life – as despicable discovery is made at her school

Students at a school attended by a girl who tragically took her own life used online platforms to rate the appearance of their peers.

Accounts on video-sharing platform TikTok were used by students at Shalom Catholic College in Bundaberg, Queensland, to ‘rate’ the appearance of teenage girls, which the school’s principal has since labeled ‘toxic’.

Christie Jacobson discovered her 14-year-old daughter Isla Marschke unconscious in the backyard of their Bundaberg South home last Tuesday evening and was unable to revive her.

The heartbroken mother revealed that Isla struggled with mental health issues, dynamic family issues and bullying.

In the wake of Isla’s tragic death, a series of online campaigns rating and ranking female students at the school have been discovered.

Local media discovered a number of similar TikTok accounts featuring the school’s ‘best’ girls who had reportedly posted nine now-deleted videos, under which people were said to be commenting on the ‘cutest’ students.

Another account also appeared to repost student videos with on-screen evaluations, including “Year 10 baby,” and “hottest year 10,” and “shalom prettiest year 7.”

Shalom Catholic College principal Dan McMahon told Daily Mail Australia on Monday that while the removal of online content by colleagues had been problematic in the past, pages such as those that came to light were not linked to Isla’s bullying.

“As far as I know, there is no such link,” Mr McMahon said.

However, he did admit that groups like the ones mentioned above exist.

“Once we become aware of this, we try to act as quickly as possible and have students, if we can identify them, removed,” he said.

‘Unfortunately, these types of locations operate ‘underground’. They are easy to make and can quickly change names. They are poisonous and can cause untold damage.”

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting such pages were a factor in Isla’s death.

A number of other accounts invited Shalom students to “guess who” other students were, based on a selection of clues including hair color, height and their popularity.

Some such videos may contain and attract comments about the students that could be considered demeaning.

Some students called the statement on the bills “making the cut.”

Friends on one of Isla’s own social media accounts rushed to pay tribute to the 14-year-old.

“I’m sorry I didn’t do more to keep you here,” one person wrote.

Another added: “You didn’t deserve any of this. Rest in peace, beautiful,” wrote another.

Shortly before Isla died, a girl posted a series of photos with the caption “Don’t be the reason someone hates their appearance.”

Since Isla’s death, she wrote a tribute telling her friends that it is never ‘weak to speak’, obtained by the Courier mail.

Isla’s social media pages also feature dated comments on her uploads, sharing her friends’ support and love.

Mr McMahon said he would continue to work with students and parents to minimize the potential threat of social media.

‘The internet can be such a force for good, but it can also cause enormous damage. Schools are often asked to monitor students’ internet use, even though these sites are usually created and maintained by their parents,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

“We will continue to work hard on this and we will respond whenever we learn of damage that has been done. I would like to see more parents closely monitor their children’s online behavior. And I know: that’s not easy.’

The principal added that he had sent content removal requests for similar accounts, but if the content was not reported to the school, it was difficult to find.

Mr McMahon supports government efforts to restrict young people’s use of social media, and supports age restrictions on social platforms.

‘Isla’s death was a terrible tragedy. She was a beautiful girl who made a terrible decision. That decision cannot be attributed to one thing, either an individual or a social media post,” he said.

Isla’s mother previously told Daily Mail Australia her daughter faced an uphill battle in receiving proper mental health care in regional Queensland.

“I live in a regional town and for months I have been desperately searching for a child psychologist who could help my daughter,” Ms Jacobsen said.

“But I was constantly rejected because she was too young or their books were full. Aftercare was virtually impossible. I can’t tell you how many times I would ask for help and be told “no, no, no.”

“While this was happening, she was also being bullied and experiencing issues with family dynamics.”

Isla had recently left traditional education at Shalom College, a Catholic school in Bundaberg, to pursue distance learning, partly due to bullying and the fact that she found it difficult to fit in.

Last week, Mr McMahon told another publication that Isla ‘undoubtedly’ faced bullying at school.

“A few people I know are not students at this school.”

This echoes comments from Isla’s sister, Ava, who told this publication that she had been a victim of bullying and had left traditional school for distance learning in July as she struggled to fit in.

“She had been going through a hard time for a while,” Ava added.

Mr McMahon said that ‘children unfortunately have to deal with bullying’ and that teachers at Shalom College worked hard to deal with it when it occurred, but some happened ‘in secret’.

“Isla’s story is tragic, but it’s not just about bullying,” he added.

‘As her mother Christie has noted in the media, mental illness is a very real problem and the lack of adequate support services for individuals and families is a real problem.

‘She was in pain from multiple and complex problems, as is the case with many people.

“Trying to pin the blame on an individual or individuals may give some a sense of satisfaction, but it is neither helpful nor accurate.

‘I prefer to put energy into helping young people have the courage to seek help when they need it, and to have that help immediately available.’

If you or someone you know needs support, call Lifeline: 13 11 14, Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636 or Kids Helpline: 1800 55 1800.