WASHINGTON – Melania Trump pushed back against critics, declaring hercommitment to combating cyberbullying despite the hits she has endured fortaking on the issue while her husband routinely goes on Twitter to beratefoes and call them names.

“I am well aware that people are skeptical of me discussing this topic,”the first lady said.

“I have been criticized for my commitment to tackling this issue, and Iknow that will continue. But it will not stop me from doing what I know isright. I am here with one goal: helping children and our next generation.”

Mrs Trump commented on Tuesday as she convened executives from major onlineand social media companies at the White House to discuss cyberbullying andinternet safety.

The meeting came more than a year after she announced that cyberbullyingwould be her cause if Trump were elected president.

The choice was immediately assailed. On Tuesday, a defiant sounding MrsTrump said she’s not backing down.

The first lady said she gets many letters from children who have beenbullied or who feel threatened on social media.

She told the executives “I believe together we can make a real differencein encouraging positive behaviors on social media.” Amazon, Snap, Facebook,Google, Twitter and

Microsoft sent representatives, as did the Internet Association and theFamily Online Safety Institute.

“She really wanted to know how we can best educate parents so that they canuse the tools that companies provide to keep kids safe online,” saidStephen Balkam, CEO of the

Family Online Safety Institute, told The Associated Press following thehour-long meeting.

“She is most concerned about anonymity online and thinks that it’s adisinhibitor to the ways in which people behave.” Michael Beckerman,president and CEO of the Internet

Association, said in a written statement that the meeting gave the industrya chance to highlight investments in policies, controls, resources andprograms “that help promote a positive and safe online experience forpeople of all ages.”