Cyberbullying and Electronic Harassment

By Lynn L. West, PhDc, BCETS, LCPC

Lynn L. West & Associates, LLC

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Cyberbullying and Electronic Harassment

Members of the Maryland General Assembly unanimously approved a new law making it a crime to use the Internet for electronic harassment, cyberbullying, and character assassination. Called “Grace's Law” after a teenager who committed suicide in Howard County after being cyberbullied, this extends the harassment law already in effect in Maryland that applies only to harassment via email.

The new bill states, that “a person cannot use a social media site to intentionally inflict serious emotional distress on a minor or place a minor in reasonable fear of death or serious bodily injury.” A conviction of the misdemeanor would carry a penalty of up to a year imprisonment or a fine of up to $500.

Once the bill is signed into law, educators, teachers, and school staff's, licensed health professionals, human service workers, and police officers, are court mandated to report incidents of electronic harassment in Maryland.

K.R. is a teenager recently attacked by a belligerent and aggressive cyberbully using an anonymous Twitter account. The cyberbully has initiated a terroristic offensive of character assassination against K.R.

The anonymous posts are written to coerce K.R. by threats or force as well as to garner support from other like-minded Twitter followers who would like to join the cyberbully's terroristic offensive against K.R. The cyberbully openly sneered at K.R. in front of the entire Twitter community in a violent and intimidating way attempting to provoke a response or a fight.

There are distinctly opposing views on cyberbullying resulting in heated arguments.

One group of people including certain parents, educators, and health professionals say that victims of cyberbullying are soft and weak if they have an emotional or psychological reaction to cyberbullying. They say, victims should stop complaining, grow a tougher skin and just accept that anyone using the Internet shouldexpect it and just learn to deal with it.

The other group expects teenagers and individuals to be protected from intentionally malicious targeting, electronic harassment, and menacing words and behavior no matter how they are delivered.

K.R. decided to bring her own case forward and be the face of strength of character and courageousness to help all teenagers who have faced similar cyberbullying attacks to restore their self-esteem and ability to fully function. K.R. and others will now have the law on their side to secure electronic records that can identify the anonymous perpetrators and bring them out of the darkness and into the light to explain their point of view to the courts.