Ella Crawford, 12, was thrilled to win a scholarship to a prestigious Brisbane private girls school. Nine months later, she took her own life - after she was relentlessly bullied on Snapchat

The heartbroken mother of a 12-year-old schoolgirl has switched off her daughter's life support after trying to take her own life following relentless online bullying.

Young Ella Catley-Crawford from Manly in Brisbane died in hospital on Saturday a week after she tried to take her own life, following nine months of misery at the hands of Snapchat bullies who catfished her.

Helpless mum Julie Crawford, 55, says she knew her only child was suffering but was powerless to stop it, despite trying everything she could to protect her daughter.

Ella's torment began after she won an academic scholarship to a prestigious girl's school in Brisbane, which she joined in February but her family has asked not to be identified.

'She was both excited and nervous about going to high school because she didn't know anyone there,' Ms Crawford told Daily Mail Australia.

'At first she seemed to be making new friends and enjoying her new school, but after just a few weeks I noticed that she was on her phone a lot more.

'It was never out of her hand.'

Ms Crawford had given Ella her old phone for Christmas to entertain her on the bus to and from school, but banned her from using apps like Tiktok and Snapchat.

But she quickly saw her daughter glued to its tiny screen.

'I thought she was just texting her new friends at first,' she says. ' I knew they had a Year Seven group chat, but it was Snapchat.

'I made her delete it straight away even though she told me she was being safe.

'I don't know how but she made another account and hid it from me.'

In March, Ms Crawford found Ella in tears about messages she was receiving, but the worried mum couldn't see them because of the app's automatic message deletion.

'She said she was fine, tried to play it down and even said she wanted to go to school, but I knew it was more,' the mum revealed.

'I banned her phone after 7pm and even physically took it from her and out of her room.'

Days later Ms Crawford, an HR manager, received a call from the school alleging concerns had been raised that Ella, who was then 11, had been bullying other students online.

'I told them 'I don't think so,' that they had it wrong and they investigated it further,' she said.

Days later, three Year Seven girls were suspended for bullying Ella online.

The school never gave Ms Crawford the details of their findings, but the damage was already done, her mum said.

'I don't know exactly what it was all about,' she added.

'People had pretended to be people they were not, one girl pretended to be a boy and messages Ella sent to them were shared around to others.

"Friends started to pull away from her and and she was uninvited to a birthday party with some of the kids saying they needed a break, that it was too much, that she was too much.'

By the end of the first term in April, Ms Crawford decided she'd had enough and moved her 'bright and quirky,' daughter to another school.

But although Ella was instantly happier and making new friends, she couldn't escape the online abuse which followed her.

'The new school was great but they still got to her via the apps,' said the mum.

'Ella was so down I took her to the doctors and she was diagnosed with depression and on medication.

'But I made sure I was always around and that we had things to do to keep her busy.'

Ms Crawford says that when she was distracted with things to look forward to, her 'best friend and love of her life,' was her former happy self.

But as soon as she was left with her phone, things quickly changed.

'Some days in the holidays she wouldn't get out of bed,' said her mum. 'I just hoped it wouldn't get worse but I never expected her to kill herself.'

Ms Crawford found her daughter apparently lifeless on Sunday October 27 and began resuscitation while waiting for paramedics.

Ella was rushed to Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane and spent a week on life support before doctors confirmed there was no brain activity.

Queensland Police have taken Ella's phone and iPad and are now investigating her death.

Her shattered mum has been left heartbroken and says without Ella she has nothing left, so will now dedicate herself to raising awareness in the hope she can help others.

She has set up a GoFundMe to help pay for the funeral costs, time off work to grieve and to facilitate more awareness.

'Social media bullying is real,' the fundraising appeal adds.

'If you ask if we are angry—yes, we are. If you ask if we are sad—absolutely. And if you ask if the system let her down—it did.

'This catastrophic reality has changed our family's history forever.

'Social media and online presence pose real dangers, and despite our efforts to keep our children safe, technology can become an addictive lifeline, especially when they feel isolated.'