The Current State of Cyberbullying Laws

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It is imperative that everyone who works with youth, but especially law enforcement officers, stay up-to-date on the ever-evolving state and local laws concerning online behaviors, and equip themselves with the skills and knowledge to intervene as necessary. In recent survey of approximately 500 school resource officers from around the United States, we found that almost one-quarter of respondents did not know if their state had a cyberbullying law. This is surprising since their most visible responsibility involves responding to actions which are in violation of law (e.g., harassment, threats, stalking).

A couple of weeks ago, we posted a brief summary of the state laws concerning bullying and cyberbullying. At last count, 44 states had laws regarding bullying, and 30 of those included some mention of electronic forms of harassment. Almost all of these laws simply direct school districts to have a bullying and harassment policy, though few delineate the actual content of such policies. Please review this document and let us know if anything is inaccurate as we want to try to keep it as up-to-date as possible.

Some states, like Wisconsin, have both a bullying law (which recently passed) and separate statutes regulating telephones and other forms of electronic communication. Specifically, in Wisconsin it is a misdemeanor crime to threaten to “inflict injury or personal harm” through the use of e-mail or another computerized communication system. It is also illegal to harass, annoy, or otherwise offend another person electronically. Each state is different with respect to the extent that they specifically address electronic forms of harassment. Educators, parents, and  law enforcement officers need to be sure to carefully review and understand the statutes in their own state to understand the formal legal implications of participating in cyberbullying.

111 Comments

  1. The worst offender I have ever seen of cyberbullying is a company called Topix. Their forums don't even require registration and whatever is posted automatically goes out over the internet meaning there is serious bullying going on for all to see. There are also a ton of sexual predators on that site but they do not care because they are making a profit and government is way too slow on passing legislation to stop this very serious problem.

  2. The worst offender I have ever seen of cyberbullying is a company called Topix. Their forums don't even require registration and whatever is posted automatically goes out over the internet meaning there is serious bullying going on for all to see. There are also a ton of sexual predators on that site but they do not care because they are making a profit and government is way too slow on passing legislation to stop this very serious problem.

  3. My daughter was just a victim of a person who took her info and made a fb page with my daughters name, and then had all sorts of comments, and terrible language and they even had her in a "relationship" with a boy in the school, it is still unclear to me if that boy is aware of what they did, and if they had made him the butt of one of their jokes by leading him on? All under my daughters name. I believe that it is someone within the circle of friends that my kids know as, as soon as I posted that it was no my daughter on that site, they deleted it immediately. So they were on, and we only have "friends" that can c our page. None of us know especially my daughter how long this has been going on, and who all had been affected by it, she will have to go to school and face everyone that may have gotten terrible comments made towards them by this person.

    It is the lowest of lows…Any suggestions on what I am all gonna need for proof…?

  4. My daughter was just a victim of a person who took her info and made a fb page with my daughters name, and then had all sorts of comments, and terrible language and they even had her in a "relationship" with a boy in the school, it is still unclear to me if that boy is aware of what they did, and if they had made him the butt of one of their jokes by leading him on? All under my daughters name. I believe that it is someone within the circle of friends that my kids know as, as soon as I posted that it was no my daughter on that site, they deleted it immediately. So they were on, and we only have "friends" that can c our page. None of us know especially my daughter how long this has been going on, and who all had been affected by it, she will have to go to school and face everyone that may have gotten terrible comments made towards them by this person.

    It is the lowest of lows…Any suggestions on what I am all gonna need for proof…?

    • Even though the fb was deleted, i hope you saved and printed the conversation, comments, etc. Not only can the makers of the page get into trouble with the school, but they can be in trouble with the law depending on your state's laws. Take all your info to a police…it's never too late to help. It's amazing how police can trace, find, and monitor people on the internet. Don't let this go unnoticed. I hope all goes well.

    • i think you should report him to the cops, and try to save all of the documents that he/her has done, try to talk to all of her friends partents see if they can help.

  5. To J- you can report this to the police and have them trace it. They have ways of figuring this out. Of course, it matters what the law is in your state about cyberbullying.

  6. To J- you can report this to the police and have them trace it. They have ways of figuring this out. Of course, it matters what the law is in your state about cyberbullying.

  7. Facebook is terrible. High school students will click together and then if they don't want you in their high school click they will exclude you.

  8. Cyber Bullying is a terrible thing but having it dealt with in a criminal manner, such as making it a federal offense, is not going to help anything. We need more things like the AWARE act which is currently in congress to educate the youth on the problems that Cyber Bulying causes. Not every rude comment or gesture onthe internet is percieved as Cyber Bullying. Usally if someone sees something mean they just assume at teh superficial glance that it is cyber Bulyying when they really don't know the whole story. For example the Click thing on facebook. If they don't want you as a friends they don't have to make you one on thier. Being denied a friend request isnt Bullying, its controling your right to privacy.

    • I am living proof that imposter profiles and smears online can cost a person their job, or even their career; in fact this malicious content can even make a person unemployable or cause them to be suspected of being involved in criminal activity. In my case, a retaliation campaign from an abusive supervisor I reported at work, at first discreetly/internally, and later, officially (in my former job at a state government agency) was apparently the motive for smearing me online, initially while I was out on FMLA extended sick leave. The abuser I reported wanted to not only terrorize me but also fabricate heinous content to make me appear some kind of workplace threat, amoral pervert etc, while she simultaneously lied to HR that I was filing an EEOC complaint for a hostile work environment. Since HR then feared liability, knowing full well I was an excellent employee with plenty of accomplishments, and never any infractions, and this supervisor was deemed a “problem employee” and received poor evaluations, and reprimands, from various managers over time, and was known for not doing her job functions, HR jumped on the chance to discredit me and side with this supervisor, acting as if her claims were fact, and avoiding any official investigations that might reveal facts, as they feared liability and aimed to discredit me once they heard this lie that I had filed complaint with EEOC (i hadn’t and wasn’t planning to). From there, HR was interested in anything that could be ‘discovered’ online, that would discredit me, show me to be a liar, and position me as an amoral person; even a criminal. My former supervisor’s status as a “problem employee” quickly became of far less importance to agency management, than the importance of discrediting me, before any lawsuits might be underway — as the organisation is vicariously liable for the abuse, harassment, and criminal activity this former supervisor does to harm me, even outside of work, for a specified period of time. I spun my wheels trying to understand why my employer would not believe me, and why they would not help me, and why they seemed to be blaming me, as the victim of the stalking, harassment, data breaches, identity theft and clear malice; intentional infliction of emotional distress, defamation, and the huge losses incurred. Why were they seeming to believe this person they knew was not credible, and gathering up all the false imposter content she was posting in my identity? Why was I the ‘enemy’ when most everyone knew I was a committed, stellar employee, valued and hard-to-replace (according to statements made my same managers prior, and even behind the scenes at this time)? I eventually realised that my efforts to convince my employer to BELIEVE ME, were futile, because they ALREADY believed me, and out of fear of liability, (the lawsuit the abuser lied about me filing) they were enabling the abuser to continue impersonating me online and acting as if these terrible things were really created by me. They ignored the fact that I reported her prior, and then the online smears began after; so did claims that I was a ‘threat of violence’ despite I was never disrespectful to anyone; never even raised my voice, and even kissed butt & walked on eggshells; because I knew the bully was looking for any chance to play victim. I documented everything. I saved evidence. I mourned the loss of my job which I eventually resigned from (in good standing) but never retaliated against the bully supervisor-turned-cyberpath, even when she did things online as me that made me live in fear for my life: sex solicitations and posts indicating the most amoral, disturbing, suggestive of illegal sex interests, coupling that disgusting, dangerous content with all the data, for anyone to easily know who I am and find where exactly I live. She continued to post things like this online. She also engaged in blackhat search optimization (she is an IT manager with 15+ years web experience), even using skills learned on the job and from trainings at the govt workplace (using citizen tax dollars) and enterprise licenses and equiptment to smear me globally and optimize my identity with all major (and minor) search engines, and buried my own legit content. Then came the harassment via phone: spoofed caller id calls incoming, eventually coupled with recordings that implied threats in same ongoing perverted sex themes. She splashed my personal & personnel data all over the web using those “free people search” tools, to stalk me; many of these are covers to feed data to Identity Thieves brokers, so now I have to constantly wonder when I might become a (traditional) Identity Theft victim, since my data, real mixed with untrue and damaging keywords & phrases, is supplying the databases of aggregators globally, to associate me with all sorts of horrible topic matter; much of which is disgusting and certain to deter an employer, but much of which is clearly being associated as me, is in tooic matter that makes me appear to be a threat to society and likely was done specifically in efforts to trigger watchlisting (and blacklisting me from employment, as well as close me out of help resources, and many other aspects of life) as social media profiles and user generated content is routinely screened via govt scanning tools, to programatically identify ‘suspected threats’. It took me years to make sense of this, and without people understanding the full picture of the problem, and the likely motives behind all this effort to impersonate and smear me, I have little recourse because the truth just sounds so crazy, that anything I report now will likely be perceived as paranoid/delusional. After all, my perpetrator is still working and has the govt employer in her corner; I am ill, out of work, terrified to leave my home, terrified to even go to sleep, and cannot even see how a future is even possible. Sure, if someone is impersonating and smears a person on one, or even a few sites, definitely work with the site then to have it removed and save the evidence. When the online tactics are coming like a tornado, covering eventually hundreds of sites feeding tens of thousands of databases and involve so many tactics some of which automate and self-propagate the smears after a while, and the victim suffers from PTSD, being triggered into panic attacks just searching for what is the latest imposter/smear content and learning about how to even define the more technical blackhat SEO tactics and is battling spear-phishing, spyware, you-name-it, it’s probably something I have encountered…

      I highly doubt, when considered carefully, the damage this crime has the potential to do to a person targeted (and so many others in that person’s life), one can hardly say this is not important to have laws in place to mitigate. THIS IS NOT HARMLESS. AND IT CANNOT BE IGNORED. Last I checked, at least 90% of employers search a candidate online before hiring. The government determines watchlisting criteria (there is a March 2013 document that recently leaked) from what people are supposedly doing online, yet I saw nothing about how they determine it really is something posted by the person they think. Those are just a few examples of how seriously online activities are taken now in life in general. When someone deliberately targets a victim for destruction of their character, identity etc, and impersonates and smears the target online, it destroys jobs, it destroys lives, it ends relationships, it causes people to end up isolated, destitute, homeless: what goes online is online often permanently. This type of crime is so horrible and damaging, it even results in death often due to stress related illnesses and drives many to suicide.

  9. Cyber Bullying is a terrible thing but having it dealt with in a criminal manner, such as making it a federal offense, is not going to help anything. We need more things like the AWARE act which is currently in congress to educate the youth on the problems that Cyber Bulying causes. Not every rude comment or gesture onthe internet is percieved as Cyber Bullying. Usally if someone sees something mean they just assume at teh superficial glance that it is cyber Bulyying when they really don't know the whole story. For example the Click thing on facebook. If they don't want you as a friends they don't have to make you one on thier. Being denied a friend request isnt Bullying, its controling your right to privacy.

  10. It can be cyberbullying on facebook if it is a group of people trying to bully or threaten others to not associate with someone who they don't want in a click. Bullying has nothing to do with privacy.

  11. High school student's aren't above lying and disinformation and using coercion to intimidate others into making themselves look better or more popular. It is no different on Facebook.

  12. High school student's aren't above lying and disinformation and using coercion to intimidate others into making themselves look better or more popular. It is no different on Facebook.

  13. Ya'll are crazy. Most of you are personally connected with this, which is so evident in its distortion of your views. The person who said teenagers tend to exclude people not in their clique clearly has no idea this is natural of anybody. You don't hang out with people that are not like you. Most cyberbullying can easily be avoided, the fraudulent profiles made are easily identifiable, and only a moron would fall for one.

    • That Aint' true gurl :p
      its not that easy to do that
      you see the mind of a teenager is way diff. than a grownup they just wanna fit in the best way they can …

  14. Ya'll are crazy. Most of you are personally connected with this, which is so evident in its distortion of your views. The person who said teenagers tend to exclude people not in their clique clearly has no idea this is natural of anybody. You don't hang out with people that are not like you. Most cyberbullying can easily be avoided, the fraudulent profiles made are easily identifiable, and only a moron would fall for one.

  15. It's not an issue of hanging out with who is like you. I mean if your a Drs. Kid and you go to Walla Walla a small University out in the middle of no where when you can pay to go to Stanford then your friend really didn't do anything to help your college choice (and wants you to hang out and be friends with them at the expense of smarter students) then by association you are a loser. The problem is that a cyberbully will try to get others to exclude other people so they can be more popular by spreading lies and threats to online to make sure there agenda is promoted over others.

    Maybe your right though stupid people do tend to hang out together.

  16. It's not an issue of hanging out with who is like you. I mean if your a Drs. Kid and you go to Walla Walla a small University out in the middle of no where when you can pay to go to Stanford then your friend really didn't do anything to help your college choice (and wants you to hang out and be friends with them at the expense of smarter students) then by association you are a loser. The problem is that a cyberbully will try to get others to exclude other people so they can be more popular by spreading lies and threats to online to make sure there agenda is promoted over others.

    Maybe your right though stupid people do tend to hang out together.

  17. well they stoled my pics from fb and myspace. than they put it into a vedio and uploaded it in youtube, than they wrote bad comments but the guy that did it was in SWEDEN so i dont no how to get to him. he still does it wen ever he feels like it 🙁

  18. Hey Kurdistan, ever try NOT using myspace?

    You know, there's more to life then websites created for the sole purpose of doing nothing more than making anonymous chit chat and posting profile updates. Facebook, myspace, Twitter, holy heck i've never seen a bigger waste of time, and WHY people takes thing so serious over them is beyond me.

    The point is, if people harass you using the internet, your phone, ect. ect. Try turning them off, put some shoes on, walk outside and breath the rotting air we've created.

    • I couldn't agree with you more! I refuse to have a Facebook. I try to tell my 16 year old to "ignore it and just walk away".
      Then someone will insult me..in real life. It runs through my head.."Just walk away".
      At first it hurts my feelings. I usually get over it, but I'm 51. These poor kids live through the internet.
      I agree with you 100% but it's really hard to just turn the other cheek sometimes.
      Why are people getting so mean anyway? Sad.

  19. The fact that some of you seem to think that cyber-bullying isn't serious really frustrates me. Teens… such as myself… are vulnerable and being torn down over the internet for everyone to see… it's disgusting and low, but it still hurts. you can ignore it but it's still there and things people say online carry over to school the next day… it's hard… it hurts… and it makes life so unenjoyable that there are days when I can't even get out of bed because I'm afraid to face the kids at school… so stop treating it like it's nothing when most of you are adults and have NOT been the victim of cyber-bullying!!! It IS a serious issue

  20. The fact that some of you seem to think that cyber-bullying isn't serious really frustrates me. Teens… such as myself… are vulnerable and being torn down over the internet for everyone to see… it's disgusting and low, but it still hurts. you can ignore it but it's still there and things people say online carry over to school the next day… it's hard… it hurts… and it makes life so unenjoyable that there are days when I can't even get out of bed because I'm afraid to face the kids at school… so stop treating it like it's nothing when most of you are adults and have NOT been the victim of cyber-bullying!!! It IS a serious issue

  21. In October, a very good friend of mine turned on me in a real evil manner. In 2009, I informed him or shared with him that I was HIV positive due to reckless personal behavior between 2000 and 2001. I don't go out of my way to hurt people and have never had my immune system drop to a point I was diagnosed with AIDS.

    He proceeded to create false Facebook profiles and one on a more adult-related social networking site where I had made many good social contacts. These profiles pretending to be not only told the world that I have AIDS, but that I go out and infect people with AIDS willy-nilly, but he also went on to publish my home address and cell phone in these phony profiles. As far as he is concerned there is no difference between HIV and AIDS. I had also lent him my late father's laptop computer which he refuses to return. I also lent him a gas credit card to make charges for gasoline with which he then maxed out to over $2,800 which he now refuses to make any payments on.

    I am going to assume this ass=wipe has not heard about the new California law. He has threatened me that if I contact his father even to say hello, what he did with Facebook and the other site will pale in comparison.

    To go through the evil he put me through in October was very debilitating. All he has to do is to be prompted and the attacks will get even worse. By the way, this friend has been living in his car for over one year since getting out of prison for sending a 14 year old girl in another state of somebody smoking with other lips (real vulgar!). This guy has anger issues and should not be around any computer or the Internet. I try to be nice to people and these attacks were totally unwarranted. His main problem I assume is that I am not able to put a roof over his head.

  22. Local laws and school policies may differ, but Federal law mandates that schools prevent and deter sex-based harassment against their students.

    Sex-based harassment includes bullying in which students are targeted for abuse based on their sex. For example, if male students regularly call a female student a “slut” and ask her about her sexual experiences, or if a male student is constantly teased and taunted for not being “masculine” enough, these incidents may trigger school responsibilities under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

    For more information about how Title IX protects students, check out this resource: It’s Your Education: How Title IX Protections Can Help You.
    (link defunct)

  23. Local laws and school policies may differ, but Federal law mandates that schools prevent and deter sex-based harassment against their students.

    Sex-based harassment includes bullying in which students are targeted for abuse based on their sex. For example, if male students regularly call a female student a “slut” and ask her about her sexual experiences, or if a male student is constantly teased and taunted for not being “masculine” enough, these incidents may trigger school responsibilities under Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.

    For more information about how Title IX protects students, check out this resource: It’s Your Education: How Title IX Protections Can Help You.
    (link defunct)

    • If you offend somebody by accident, it isn't illegal. However, if you pruposely offend them repeatedly, then it is illegal, and rightfully so.

  24. I've just completed two (2) legal actions on Jan 14, 2011 regarding a False FB account and illegal creation of an email account using my information.

    I am still awaiting the results from the court, but I'm not holding my breath. However there are new laws taking hold in CA and across the US. I'm all about Free Speech, however there is no need for Hate to be posted.

    Check Out: (link defunct)
    New Recent CA Law effective Jan 1, 2011: http://CYBERLAW.STANFORD.EDU/NODE/6575

  25. What about racial discrimination? At the school I went to they favored an Asian student to the extent that the students won't even associate with me on Facebook but they will with this Asian Student.

    The attitude is it's ok to exclude 'x' but if it's the Asian guy it's preferred to associate with him on facebook. It's like I have way more creative abilities than this loser and they will associate with him and exclude me. Also, he will get together with other students and if he doesn't like you he might try to get the others to collude and exclude you.

    The school had him give speeches and he got treated preferentially which I can't really explain. I mean where is the Academic record of invention and dialogue and Latin or Greek or College level reasearch in High School. I don't think he had any of that. When he went to college the local college allowed him to give a chapel AC speech which wasn't very intellectual. They gave him preferential treatment over much more qualified people I feel like the only reason he was allowed to give the Chapel Speech at the University was that the high school gave him preferential support and references. I never really thought he was that smart and relative to an "Intel Science Fair Contestant" or a "Westinghouse Science Fair Contestant" he really wasn't. When another student committed suicide who was a college teacher with professional papers the attitude of the students on Facebook was it's more important to suck up to the Asian guy even though he didn't have nearly the acumen of the College professor who killed himself. The high school has had a lot of bullying and backstabbing. One of the other kids went to a really loser College well below there socio economic status since I feel this guy didn't want him to compete with him. I mean he sure didn't help him get into a good University? I mean what a friend.

    This is the same school that had a fire recently.

    I always felt the high school shouldn't have been favoring him as much. He also would do things that promoted his own self interests above other students. There was almost no class spirit and 5 or six students left. I feel like the High School just sucked up to him because he was Asian and then gave him preferential treatment for the speeches which weren't really Ivy league level and then created a hostile environment for anyone else.

  26. What about racial discrimination? At the school I went to they favored an Asian student to the extent that the students won't even associate with me on Facebook but they will with this Asian Student.

    The attitude is it's ok to exclude 'x' but if it's the Asian guy it's preferred to associate with him on facebook. It's like I have way more creative abilities than this loser and they will associate with him and exclude me. Also, he will get together with other students and if he doesn't like you he might try to get the others to collude and exclude you.

    The school had him give speeches and he got treated preferentially which I can't really explain. I mean where is the Academic record of invention and dialogue and Latin or Greek or College level reasearch in High School. I don't think he had any of that. When he went to college the local college allowed him to give a chapel AC speech which wasn't very intellectual. They gave him preferential treatment over much more qualified people I feel like the only reason he was allowed to give the Chapel Speech at the University was that the high school gave him preferential support and references. I never really thought he was that smart and relative to an "Intel Science Fair Contestant" or a "Westinghouse Science Fair Contestant" he really wasn't. When another student committed suicide who was a college teacher with professional papers the attitude of the students on Facebook was it's more important to suck up to the Asian guy even though he didn't have nearly the acumen of the College professor who killed himself. The high school has had a lot of bullying and backstabbing. One of the other kids went to a really loser College well below there socio economic status since I feel this guy didn't want him to compete with him. I mean he sure didn't help him get into a good University? I mean what a friend.

    This is the same school that had a fire recently.

    I always felt the high school shouldn't have been favoring him as much. He also would do things that promoted his own self interests above other students. There was almost no class spirit and 5 or six students left. I feel like the High School just sucked up to him because he was Asian and then gave him preferential treatment for the speeches which weren't really Ivy league level and then created a hostile environment for anyone else.

  27. RE: perla

    Try explaining that to the parents and family and children of the suicide victim. This doesn't excuse high school bullies who use harassment to get ahead.

    Hey parents (of victim). "Grow up. Just because someone callls You Ugly and stuff

    Doesn't give you a Reason to Commit Suicide."

    Hey children (of victim). "Your dad just killed himself. Please grow up. Just because your ugly doesn't give you a reason to commit suicide."

    Widow (of victim). "Your husband killed himself…."

    Get real. I could argue the same thing. "Just because X was fired by the supervisor for being herassed…. Doesn't give them a right to blah blah…."

  28. This may be the single most stupid thing ive ever heard of… Children acting the same way children have always acted… But because its on the internet its illegal… This is why we cant have nice things

  29. Hello. I am sending you a copy of a letter that I sent to almost every Democratic Senator. I also started a petition with the letter on Care2. The petition is entitled "Help stop online bullying in games".

    Here is the letter:

    This letter is concerning a form of online bullying and perhaps even theft.

    The bullying referred occurs in online games and is commonly referred to as PKing. PKing is different from regular PvP. PKing stands for Player killing and PvP stands for player versus player. In regular PvP all parties involved in the fight are their of there own free will and should be aware of the consequences. PKing is where one or more parties simply attack someone without that person's consent. Most commonly they will attack someone that they know that they can beat. PvP would be like sitting at home offline playing a game of Madden football against a friend. Pking would be more like going into someone's home without their permission and kicking them off their own game then either taking it or playing it there. PKing is really, really messed up.

    Before I continue, I should state that I have never nor do I desire to take part in PKing. As a matter of fact, I have only ever taken part in any PvP in an online game because the game required it to obtain certain items. I wasn't particularly happy about being forced to do it then.

    That said, all PKing really does is allow players to hide behind their computers to screw over other players. This can not be a good example of behavior for the millions of children that play online games.

    Before anyone says it is only a game, let me go further into what PKing allows people to do to other people. In almost every game that allows PKing the person that wins the battle gets to take the possessions that the other player's character has on them. Or at least some of those possessions. Those possessions take time to acquire. By that I mean that you generally have to spend your "real life" time playing the game to get to the point that you can get those in-game possessions.

    Most of the online video games offer a subscription to get more access to parts of the game. These subscriptions are time based. Example would be say $19.95 for a 3 month subscription. So in turn if the victim of the PKing spent 3 months getting to where they could obtain the items then the PKer basically just stole $19.95 from their victim and also the 3 months that it took playing the game.

    The people that make the games know this. They put it into the games on purpose to cause conflict between players and to get that extra subscription to replace the one that was wasted by the PKer taking someone else's items. It is a scam.

    That is not their only scam either. A huge percentage of online games out now advertise that they are "free to play". Very, very few of them are actually free. It is false advertising just to get people to try the games. Once you actually get into the game you find out that you can not play most of the game without paying for membership or for in-games 'perks'.

    A couple of examples would be Runescape and Nodiatis.

    Runescape first. They advertise that you can play "totally free". When in reality you can only access a small portion of the game map and play only 15 of the 25 game categories as a free player. That wouldn't really be a problem if they didn't advertise it as totally free. So much for free and more if you subscribe with no more in-game items for 'real money'. Runescape also has a Pking system where it is only allowed in a certain part of the game 'world'. That may not be so bad, but they also tend to make you go into that part of the game to do certain things.

    Nodiatis on the other hand, also advertises as a free to play game has a different set-up. Once you get into the game you find out that you can't do much of anything without first paying. The game offers a standard account which doesn't improve much on the free option. Then it goes into a premium account, which is a step up from the standard account and much more expensive. Then it also offers other in-game perks if you pay even more for them. Nodiatis has a Pking system that is called open. Open meaning that anyone can attack anyone else anywhere in the game other than in the towns. You can't do much in the towns and have to leave them if you want to play the game.

    These issues need some serious consideration. It would be a good thing to pass legislation banning games that allow PKing and issuing some serious fines for the false advertising. If these games are in countries that will not co-operate with cleaning them up them just block the IP addresses of the games from the countries that will co-operate.

    If you are wondering why so many kids are out of control these days, I suggest that allowing them to exhibit so much bad behavior online is not helping. The Internet is a public place and the behaviors of those on it need to have the same expectations as if they were in person. I realize that it would be somewhat of an impossible task to police the entire Internet, but starting with things like gaming, forums, message boards and anywhere else that there are large gatherings of people would be a good thing.

    Another good piece of legislation would stop people from using computers that are paid for with tax dollars to play online games. That includes schools, public libraries, military computers, etc.

    Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that there is some action taken on this issue.

  30. Hello. I am sending you a copy of a letter that I sent to almost every Democratic Senator. I also started a petition with the letter on Care2. The petition is entitled "Help stop online bullying in games".

    Here is the letter:

    This letter is concerning a form of online bullying and perhaps even theft.

    The bullying referred occurs in online games and is commonly referred to as PKing. PKing is different from regular PvP. PKing stands for Player killing and PvP stands for player versus player. In regular PvP all parties involved in the fight are their of there own free will and should be aware of the consequences. PKing is where one or more parties simply attack someone without that person's consent. Most commonly they will attack someone that they know that they can beat. PvP would be like sitting at home offline playing a game of Madden football against a friend. Pking would be more like going into someone's home without their permission and kicking them off their own game then either taking it or playing it there. PKing is really, really messed up.

    Before I continue, I should state that I have never nor do I desire to take part in PKing. As a matter of fact, I have only ever taken part in any PvP in an online game because the game required it to obtain certain items. I wasn't particularly happy about being forced to do it then.

    That said, all PKing really does is allow players to hide behind their computers to screw over other players. This can not be a good example of behavior for the millions of children that play online games.

    Before anyone says it is only a game, let me go further into what PKing allows people to do to other people. In almost every game that allows PKing the person that wins the battle gets to take the possessions that the other player's character has on them. Or at least some of those possessions. Those possessions take time to acquire. By that I mean that you generally have to spend your "real life" time playing the game to get to the point that you can get those in-game possessions.

    Most of the online video games offer a subscription to get more access to parts of the game. These subscriptions are time based. Example would be say $19.95 for a 3 month subscription. So in turn if the victim of the PKing spent 3 months getting to where they could obtain the items then the PKer basically just stole $19.95 from their victim and also the 3 months that it took playing the game.

    The people that make the games know this. They put it into the games on purpose to cause conflict between players and to get that extra subscription to replace the one that was wasted by the PKer taking someone else's items. It is a scam.

    That is not their only scam either. A huge percentage of online games out now advertise that they are "free to play". Very, very few of them are actually free. It is false advertising just to get people to try the games. Once you actually get into the game you find out that you can not play most of the game without paying for membership or for in-games 'perks'.

    A couple of examples would be Runescape and Nodiatis.

    Runescape first. They advertise that you can play "totally free". When in reality you can only access a small portion of the game map and play only 15 of the 25 game categories as a free player. That wouldn't really be a problem if they didn't advertise it as totally free. So much for free and more if you subscribe with no more in-game items for 'real money'. Runescape also has a Pking system where it is only allowed in a certain part of the game 'world'. That may not be so bad, but they also tend to make you go into that part of the game to do certain things.

    Nodiatis on the other hand, also advertises as a free to play game has a different set-up. Once you get into the game you find out that you can't do much of anything without first paying. The game offers a standard account which doesn't improve much on the free option. Then it goes into a premium account, which is a step up from the standard account and much more expensive. Then it also offers other in-game perks if you pay even more for them. Nodiatis has a Pking system that is called open. Open meaning that anyone can attack anyone else anywhere in the game other than in the towns. You can't do much in the towns and have to leave them if you want to play the game.

    These issues need some serious consideration. It would be a good thing to pass legislation banning games that allow PKing and issuing some serious fines for the false advertising. If these games are in countries that will not co-operate with cleaning them up them just block the IP addresses of the games from the countries that will co-operate.

    If you are wondering why so many kids are out of control these days, I suggest that allowing them to exhibit so much bad behavior online is not helping. The Internet is a public place and the behaviors of those on it need to have the same expectations as if they were in person. I realize that it would be somewhat of an impossible task to police the entire Internet, but starting with things like gaming, forums, message boards and anywhere else that there are large gatherings of people would be a good thing.

    Another good piece of legislation would stop people from using computers that are paid for with tax dollars to play online games. That includes schools, public libraries, military computers, etc.

    Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope that there is some action taken on this issue.

  31. SO IT DONT JUST HAPPEN TO KIDS TRUST ME IT HAPPENS WITH GROWN WOMEN TO.. OR SHOULD I SAY WOMEN WHO ARE 26 BUT ACT 12… ITS A HORRABEL THING TO GO THROUGH THE ONLY THING I CAN SAY IS TO TURN THEM IN AND THE POLICE WILL FIGURE IT OUT… UMM ITS NOT FAR BUT JUST HAVE HER STOP GOING ON THEM SITES I THINK THAT IN SCHOOLS THEM GIRLS ARE JUST MEAN ANYWAYS…. I WAS ONE WHO GOT PICKED ON IN HIGH SCHOOL AND IT MAD IT SO I DROPED OUT AND I SEEM THEM SAME GIRLS NOW AND THEY ACT LIKE IT NEVER HAPPEND OR THEY JUST DONT REMAMBER ME HAHAHA ALL THEM BIG THINGS IN HIGH SCHOOL ARENT SO BIG WHEN YOUR OUT….. I REALIZED THAT THEY DID IT CAUSE THEY WERE LACKING SOMTHING I HAD SO JUST TELL HER TO HOLD HER HEAD HELD HIGH AND DOO WHAT SHES GOT TO DO TO STAY A WAY

  32. My sister and I are being cyber bullied right now on facebook. My sister confronted him in some lies that he told us and he completely flipped out on us, turning other facebook friends against us and he has several fake facebook accounts that he's created to harass us as well. We befriended him as Galman Frederick Ferguson and he also has Tommy Anderson Essbjorn, Ivan Klasnic, Galman Ruben, Galman Ruben Manangin…BEWARE this guy is completely nuts!!

  33. One big issue in creating laws against cyberbullying is the fact that legislation seems very lagging in its rulings and fails to make updates to include electronic cyberbullying. Out of 50 states, only 17 has passed or proposed cyberbullying laws. Without the cooperation of all the states, cyberbullying can and will continue to be a problem students and teachers are going to face. Cyberbullying laws need to consist of procedures and correlating punishments and also “trustees” to go to if the student is experiencing bullying. I read an article from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) about their ideas to stop bullying. They believe law enforcement officers should stop bullying and create a prevention program. They go on to saying research must be done to create this program, that there must be an anonymous reporting system in the school, and that the school should have passive surveillance on the students. Any cyberbullying that has been perceived as a criminal act, such as a threat to one’s personal or physical safety, should be subject to discipline and result in the notification of the police and any behavior that constitutes sexual harassment should be handled under the sexual harassment policies whether it is considered bullying or cyberbullying as well.

  34. One big issue in creating laws against cyberbullying is the fact that legislation seems very lagging in its rulings and fails to make updates to include electronic cyberbullying. Out of 50 states, only 17 has passed or proposed cyberbullying laws. Without the cooperation of all the states, cyberbullying can and will continue to be a problem students and teachers are going to face. Cyberbullying laws need to consist of procedures and correlating punishments and also “trustees” to go to if the student is experiencing bullying. I read an article from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) about their ideas to stop bullying. They believe law enforcement officers should stop bullying and create a prevention program. They go on to saying research must be done to create this program, that there must be an anonymous reporting system in the school, and that the school should have passive surveillance on the students. Any cyberbullying that has been perceived as a criminal act, such as a threat to one’s personal or physical safety, should be subject to discipline and result in the notification of the police and any behavior that constitutes sexual harassment should be handled under the sexual harassment policies whether it is considered bullying or cyberbullying as well.

  35. For some time now, bullying among teenagers has been a major problem for educators, parents, policy makers, and victims to deal with. However, with the turn of the century and the increased use of the internet, bullying has gone past traditional places. The act of bullying is no longer limited to real world locations, now many teens have turned to the internet and electronic devices to bully others. Several evolving legal issues arise from cyberbullying. Of primary concern is determining when school officials are responsible for addressing a cyberbullying act considering it may not take place on school grounds. Teachers, parents, policy makers and administrators must be educated about how adolescents use the internet and electronic devices to bully and harass others. Several court findings regarding this latest form of bullying have laid the groundwork for several states to pass legislation related to cyberbullying.
    On April 2008, the Florida Legislature enacted anti-bullying laws, including cyber-bullying. This law also known as “Jeffrey Johnston Stand Up for All Students Act”, is named after Jeffrey Johnston, a 15-year old boy whom was bullied both in traditionally and on the internet. After being subjected to bullying for two years, Jeffrey committed suicide. This law prohibits the bullying or harassment of any kind of public K-12 students and employees. Additionally, public schools are required to adopt measures to protect students and employees from bullying or harassment. Those that also induce or coerce someone to bully or harass can also be penalized by this law.

  36. Legal issues raise a lot of problems when it comes to cyber bullying because we have the freedom of speech. Many schools have had problems when trying to punish students who are cyber bullying because in the court room they are over ruled, the court often residing with the student not the school. In my opinion what school board is going to want to suspend a teen for cyber bullying but later be sued by the teen and have to pay $30,000 dollars like the case in the book. That is why there is so much cyber bullying because instances like that make people not want to say anything and pretend they not see what is happening because it is easier than having to face the court. Also being that a lot of times cyber bullying happens outside of the school campus it is hard for a school to have a say because if it is not hurting the school directly there is nothing they can do.

  37. Since schools are limited in the ways they can help stop cyber bullying I think it is important for them to talk about with the students. Schools should explain the consequences that cyber bullying can have on a person because a lot of times the teens have no idea, they think it is a joke. The legislatures also need to step up and set up a better policy along with the school to help stop cyber bullying. I would have some kind of policy where if you are caught or suspect of cyber bullying you have to do some type of community service and write an apology to the person you were harassing. Just like in high school when you have those classes where you learn the effects of drunk driving, I believe they should have one of those and showing how many teens have died from cyber bullying. I have to say that I think FAU does a good job with preventing cyber bullying. I have never heard of any incidents on campus.

  38. adults are also being cyberbullied. Yes, I know that is not adult behavior but I guess some people just do not grow up! It is defamation of character and a form of harassment but It seems the officials don't really care . It is very hard to find a law enforcement official or government laws to take care of the bully .The victim has to search and search for help and then often spend lots of money to even get someone to prosecute. what happens if you win your case? Does the bully just go back to it again the next week? I think they deserve jail time!

  39. adults are also being cyberbullied. Yes, I know that is not adult behavior but I guess some people just do not grow up! It is defamation of character and a form of harassment but It seems the officials don't really care . It is very hard to find a law enforcement official or government laws to take care of the bully .The victim has to search and search for help and then often spend lots of money to even get someone to prosecute. what happens if you win your case? Does the bully just go back to it again the next week? I think they deserve jail time!

  40. Yes i live in wisconsin my self ive been to court many times sueing for physical and electronic threats.

    Facebook i say is the worst cyber bullying in history. right now people are putting threats on hacker/packet editors over 25,000 people are doing it as it is growing people are calling the police for threat to violence. i think it that it is pathetic that people will go on about this for a little reason what did the hackers/packet editors do to you? thats what i would like to know. i am hoping that the police departments do something quick and get this low life bully's in jail

  41. I have been bullied multiple times(sometimes even by a the school counsler) and until about 10th or 11th grade i would tell my mom. but in 11th grade and up until now(i am 19) i would not only stand for myself, i would tell an adult. And anytime I see people being bullied, especially online, I speak up and tell them off, and I tell someone, especially a teacher at whatever school the person goes too… I quote Eleanor Roosevelt saying that basically the bully wont be happy no matter what people do. And then I use what they say almost against them, but not really…I form it in a question… But I am trying to get cyberbullying illegal in my state…Some of my friends have been cyberbullied, and I dont know who says it so I tell them, that no matter who says crap about them that the bully has it much worse because they feel insecure. And I tell them what it is that makes people like the victim and all the good times i and others have had with them…

  42. I have been bullied multiple times(sometimes even by a the school counsler) and until about 10th or 11th grade i would tell my mom. but in 11th grade and up until now(i am 19) i would not only stand for myself, i would tell an adult. And anytime I see people being bullied, especially online, I speak up and tell them off, and I tell someone, especially a teacher at whatever school the person goes too… I quote Eleanor Roosevelt saying that basically the bully wont be happy no matter what people do. And then I use what they say almost against them, but not really…I form it in a question… But I am trying to get cyberbullying illegal in my state…Some of my friends have been cyberbullied, and I dont know who says it so I tell them, that no matter who says crap about them that the bully has it much worse because they feel insecure. And I tell them what it is that makes people like the victim and all the good times i and others have had with them…

  43. my husband and i was subject to cyberbulling acussing myself of being a drunk riseing addicts and him being a molosert of his granddaughter.on fb.she is trying to get shared legal custody of my sweet granddaughter.

  44. my husband and i was subject to cyberbulling acussing myself of being a drunk riseing addicts and him being a molosert of his granddaughter.on fb.she is trying to get shared legal custody of my sweet granddaughter.

  45. I'm wondering if cyber bullying only pertains to kids in schools?
    It seems like it should be wrong for adults to go online, worldwide and do this each other as well.
    I see blogs and "review" sites that seem to allow people to blatanly insult individuals and business online and then walk away without taking any reponsibility for what they have wreitten online about someone else.

  46. I'm wondering if cyber bullying only pertains to kids in schools?
    It seems like it should be wrong for adults to go online, worldwide and do this each other as well.
    I see blogs and "review" sites that seem to allow people to blatanly insult individuals and business online and then walk away without taking any reponsibility for what they have wreitten online about someone else.

  47. BULLYING HAPPEN EVERYWHERE 81% OF PEPEOLE SAY THEY BULLY BECAUSE ITS FUN ENTERTANING OR TO GET REVENGE. STOP THE BUYLLING JUST THINK OF THE END RESULT O IT………………. SUICIDE….. JAIL 4 LIFE

  48. iHave Been Bullied Online Ever Since iMade My Facebook Two Years Ago… And In Real Life Before That… iTried To Ignore It At First But It Started To Get Out Of Hand. It Carried On To School…. Now Everyone Thinks iAm A Whore. People Have Been Saying That iFlirt With Every Guy Who Crosses My Path… People Say iSlept With Someone Named James iThink… iDont Even Know Who That Guy Is… iAm Tired Of It…. iWent To The Counsalors With The Proof And They Did Nothing iTalked To My Mom,, All She Said Was You Know It Isnt True… And Worst Of All The Person Who Said That About Me….. Acts As My Best Friend To My Face Then,, Behind My Back She Calls Me Nasty,, A Whore,, A Flirt,, And Other Things iDont Even Feel Comfterble Talking About… iAm Depressed And Suicidal…. In 6th Grade It Stopped And Now That iAm In 8th Grade And At A New School Shit Spreads…. Even Though,, It Isn’t True…. That Doesn’t Mean It Doesn’t Hurt…. iSay No To Bullying Because iKnow How It Feels. Yes iAdmit,, iHave Done It Before But Online You Dont Realize What You Are Doing Until You Finish Posting It… Then… You Cant Get Rid Of It. It Os THere Forever And There Is Nothing You Can But Apologize…….. iThought Revenge Was Good But Now That iThink About It… iAm Only Turning Into Them…. iTry To Make Friends iTry To Get People Who Hate Me To See The Kind Of Person iReally Am. iAM Me And If Someone Has A Problem With It…. iWould Much Rather Them Say It To My Face Instead Of Hiding Behind A Note,, A Fake Smile,, A Profile Picture,, Or In My Case,, A Fake Friendship. iAm Not Saying That iWill Hurt Them iJust Dont Want To Have To Deal With Someone Who Says They Are My Friend Then Turn Around And Act Like The Devils Spawn. Stabbing Me In The Back,, iWant To KIll Myself Constantly…. iWant To Hurt Myself Periodically…. All Because Of Words…. The Saying “Sticks And Stone May Break My Bones,, But Words Will Never Hurt Me.” Thats Not Entirely True…. iHave Never Been Hurt Physically By Anyone But Myself But If You Put Enough Thought Into It…. It Isn’t Entirely My Fault…. It Is The Bullys….. They Put Me Through So Much Mental Pain…… iPut Myself Through It Physically…….My Heart Is Shattered,, Into A Billion Little Pieces…. iHate Having To Deal With The SHit iPuy Up With DAILY! Oh,, And Another Thing iAm Bullied About Behind My Back Is…….. iAm Bisexual… iAm A 14 Year Old Bisexual Female… My Mom Knows And It Doesn’t Bother Her But,, My Dad Hears About It And He Starts Yelling And Sounds Like,, He Doesn’t Care About Me…. Or My Own Life Choices….. He Has Called Me Worthless,, Ignorant,, Stupid,, And What Hurt The Most Is…. A Piece Of Trash… iTried To Tell Him That When He Called Me That It Hurt And He Denied Ever Saying That….. Right In My Face… Making Me Feel Useless,, Unwanted,, And Unloved By My Own FATHER! It’s Bad,, Any Kind Of Bullying,, Its Terrorizing,, Hurtful,, Scary,, And Just Plain Horrid….. iTry To Embrace Myself And Be Who iTruly Am…. But When People Look Down On You Because Of It,, You Cant Help But Be Who You Aren’t….. iAm,, Emo,, iDo Listen To Screamo,, iAm Also Loving,, And Try To Be Carefree,, But That All Turns To Bull Shit When The People You Care For Turn On You…. Dont Bully…. Even If You Are Being Bullied… Revenge Isn’t The Answer,, Neither Is Violence,, iAm Truly Glad iUnderstand Everything Now…..

    Stalking… That Is ANother Subject iHave Been Through.. This Guy On Face Book Is Stalking Me And My Friends Saying He Wants To Marry Us And That He Loves Us And That We Are Beautiful…. Both Males And Females… iTold My Mom And She Did Absalutely Nothing… iGuess She Doesn’t Realize How Afraid iAm That He Will Knock On The Door One Day And Just So Happen That iAnswer It It Is Scary But iGuess There Isn’t Much iCan Do ABout It……… Well,, iHave Spoken Of My Story Its A Hell Of A Life Just For 14….

  49. Cyberbullying…… Where we lose ourselves, and our loved ones. Sticks and Stones may break my bones, but never will never hurt me. Ha, Funny Joke. If those words don’t hurt why do we hurt ourselves? I feel your pain, maybe not as intense, but just know, where ever you are…. I LOVE YOU. Stay Strong.(:

  50. I am a teenage victim of both regular and cyber bullying. After coming out, I was harassed by many people, all of whom I thought were truly my friends. I suppose I was wrong. It is a big deal that this girl killed herself, and it sickens me to see it treated so nonchalantly! I myself was nearly driven to suicide by my so called friends. You people should be ashamed of yourselves. Words can hurt, and they can drive people to do unthinkable things.

    • I hope you will go to this website: trevorspace.org. It’s a well-regarded, monitored site for teens dealing with orientation issues.

  51. BS! I can understand legitimate stalking and impersonation, but things such as expressing your negative opinion or creating exclusive clubs on FB just aren’t the same as bullying.

  52. i have a domestic violence case and the restraining order listed no emails or texts. now researching this option for the 3288 email violations from 2009 to-date. Would love to get him on a cyber-bullying law. the things he says in these emails are so violent and disturbing.

  53. i have a domestic violence case and the restraining order listed no emails or texts. now researching this option for the 3288 email violations from 2009 to-date. Would love to get him on a cyber-bullying law. the things he says in these emails are so violent and disturbing.

  54. Ever heard of the First Amendment.

    The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances.

  55. Has the whole country gone insane? Harassment, violence, I get it, that needs to stop. Bullying? Really?

    I was bullied. I’m alive.

    I read a post here where someone sarcastically quoted “Sticks, and stones”

    Why the sarcasm?

    Words can’t hurt you. They can’t. You can hurt yourself. Don’t do that. Drop it. Forget it. Who cares?

    Why is the opinion of a stranger so damaging for yall?

    This is supposed to be America. A country that promised us the right to say anything we wanted. But there’s a cap on that now?

    And I don’t want to hear anyone tell me that threats of violence is bullying. Threats of violence is called a terroristic threat, we already have laws for terroristic threats.

    “Someone doesn’t like my shirt? Aweeeee,, no!!!! They said it was gay! Im being bullied!”

    That’s the way it is now? We can’t just say, well, “I guess that dude is just a jerk” and go on with your day?

    We don’t need cyber bully laws. We need to talk with our kids. We need to make sure they understand that people are going to say things. Sometimes you’ll like them, sometimes you won’t. You can’t add weight to every statement ever read or written otherwise we’d all be dead.

    Can we stop being sensitive and concentrate, together, on things that matter?

  56. I do agree with all of the concepts you’ve offered for your post.
    They’re really convincing and will certainly work. Still, the posts are
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  57. Yes I thought I was talking talking to army guy . I sent some dirty pics. He kept saying he needed money to come home. I read on it told him no. So then it all turn around he said how fat and ugly I was and if I didn't he was going to post them so everyone could see. I told him too do it

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