The tragedy of Phoebe Prince's abuse and eventual suicide has inspired Boston.com to publish an op-ed piece about cyber bullying calling for greater parental intervention in cases like these.

And we couldn't agree more, which is why we urge parents to buy and use parental controls.

While it's true that much of the abuse suffered by Ms. Prince happened in school, there was also a great deal of cyber bullying happening on social networking sites. In particular, Ms. Prince's attackers abused her online before her death, and then continued to post hate-mail on her Facebook page after her suicide.

Parental controls allow parents to know what's going on online. Phoebe Prince suffered months of abuse from her schoolmates without her parents being aware of exactly what was going on, or its severity.

Furthermore, relying on parental controls to catch and control cyber bullying also means that parents will have the proof they need to prosecute those responsible for abusing their child.

In Ms. Prince's case, 9 of her abusers - all fellow students - are facing criminal charges related to her death.

Had their parents been aware of what was happening, perhaps something could have been done to protect Ms. Prince, and to stop these kids before they wrecked their own lives as well.