Cyberbullying legislation and case law: Implications for school policy and practice
This Fact Sheet provides a summary of important court cases and pending legislation that can help school administrators evaluate and improve their current cyberbullying policies and procedures. Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J.W. (2024). Cyberbullying legislation and case law: Implications for school policy and practice. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved [insert date], from https://cyberbullying.org/cyberbullying-legal-issues.pdf Download PDF
Social Media, Youth, and New Legislation: The Most Critical Components
In my last piece, I discussed how some legislation in various US states has been proposed without careful consideration of the contributing factors of internalized and externalized harm among youth. More specifically, I expressed concern that the complexities surrounding why youth struggle emotionally and psychologically demand more than simplistic, largely unenforceable solutions. We recognize that […]
State Cyberbullying Laws: A Brief Review of State Cyberbullying Laws and Policies
This Research Summary summarizes the current state of cyberbullying bills and laws across the United States. More detailed information can be found here: https://cyberbullying.org/bullying-laws Hinduja, S. & Patchin, J. (2018). State Cyberbullying Laws: A Brief Review of State Cyberbullying Laws and Policies. Cyberbullying Research Center. Retrieved [insert date], from https://cyberbullying.org/Bullying-and-Cyberbullying-Laws.pdf Download PDF
What to do About Teen Sexting
Over six years ago I wrote a post where I offered advice to teens who receive a sext. “Sexting” is when someone takes a naked or semi-naked (explicit) picture or video of themselves, usually using their phone, and sends it to someone else. We are mostly concerned with these behaviors as they occur among middle […]
Teens Charged with Possessing Naked Images of…Themselves
Two sixteen-year-olds from Fayetteville, North Carolina, did what many teens who are in romantic relationships do: they talk, they text, they hang out. And they sent each other nude photos. Research shows that at least one-third of teens have engaged in this kind of behavior at some point in their lives. Technically speaking, though, youth […]
Cyberbullying Activity: Laws
Use this activity to help your students learn about laws related to bullying and cyberbullying. Patchin, J. W. & Hinduja, S. (2014). A Leader’s Guide to Words Wound. Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing. Download PDF You can also download the complete (and free!) Leader’s Guide to Words Wound by clicking here.
Minnesota’s New Bullying Law and the Ability of Educators to Respond to Off-Campus Bullying
On April 9th Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton signed into law the “Safe and Supportive Minnesota Schools Act” which, among other things, updates the state’s anti-bullying legislation. The previous version of the law, last updated in 2007, was much maligned as being among the “worst in the nation.” I’m not sure that designation is accurate, but […]
Deterring Teen Bullying: Dos and Don’ts
There’s been a lot of interest lately in passing new bullying and cyberbullying laws. The pressure to pursue these provisions seems to come from the idea that the threat of harsher penalties will deter teens from bullying others. But will they? Deterrence theory is a very popular philosophy within the criminal justice system, and as […]
Summary of State Sexting Laws
We define sexting as “sending or receiving sexually explicit or sexually suggestive nude or seminude images or video, usually via a cell phone.” Most commonly when people use the term “sexting” it is to refer to incidents where minors take pictures of themselves when they are nude or nearly nude and send them to others. […]
