Sixteen of our country’s 50 states now have laws that specifically address “cyberbullying,” according to a state-by-state review published in 2013 by the Cyberbully Research Center.
By and large, these laws address threatening and/or aggressively coercive behavior that is transmitted via electronic communication devices to minors, the review shows.
California’s cyberbullying law, known as “Seth’s Law,” is named after 13-year old Seth Walsh, who committed suicide after being harassed about his sexual orientation and identity.
“Bullying causes a substantial disruption and detrimental effect on students,” states Seth’s Law (AB 9).
Enacted in 2011,”Seth’s Law” encourages training for school officials and creates provisions to remove the victim from the “unhealthy setting.”
Cyberbullying laws in other states reflect the same specific concerns, placing emphasis on students, children and schools.
According to legislation enacted in Louisiana, “cyberbullying is the transmission of any electronic textual, visual, writtenor oral communication with the malicious and willful intent to coerce, abuse, torment or intimidate a person under the age of eighteen…” (H.B.1259, 2010).
While cyberbullying laws have been on the books in some states for over a decade, only about half of those states have attached criminal sanctions to them, according to the review.
In today’s environment Internet access has become almost universal among children from all backgrounds. That being the case, we can expect to continue to see new legislation proposed regarding cyberbullying.
