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Debating cyberbullying legislation

May 22, 2009 By Anne Leave a Comment

It’s called the Cyberbullying Prevention Act of 2009, but some are calling it the “Censorship Act of 2009.” The bill, introduced in the House of Representatives by Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), “is designed to prevent cyberbullying, making it punishable by a fine and up to two years in prison,” FOXNews.com reports. One critic of the bill, UCLA law Prof. Eugene Volokh, said that – if the law were passed – he could go to jail for what he’s blogged about the law! And my co-director at ConnectSafely, Larry Magid, told Fox News that “you can’t legislate against meanness.” MSNBC columnist Helen A.S. Popkin suggests that, with laws like this, legislators seem to be clear on principles but not on where the Internet comes in, as a reflection of humanity good and bad. “You know how shutting down the ‘erotic services’ section on Craigslist won’t stop sex workers, or eliminate their higher probability of becoming crime victims by the marginalized nature of the trade? Similarly, outlawing meanness on the Internet won’t prevent hectors from preying on the weak on the Internet or turn jerks into saints in any aspect of their lives.” And here’s what really resonates with me: “Unfortunately, sensation rallies a mob more efficiently than adequate research and dissemination of critical information: how to recognize dangerous behavior, mental illness and suicide risk in teenagers, no matter the stressor,” Popkin writes. Representative Sanchez defended her bill in the Huffington Post.

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Filed Under: cyberbullying, Law & Policy, Risk & Safety Tagged With: Cyberbullying Prevention Act, Eugene Volokh, Helen A.S. Popkin, Larry Magid, Representative Sanchez

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Our (DIGITAL) PARENTING BASICS: Safety + Social
NAMLE, the National Association for Media Literacy Education
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Center for Democracy & Technology
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Childnet International
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Control Shift: a pivotal book for Internet safety
Crimes Against Children Research Center
Crisis Textline
Cyber Civil Rights Initiative's Revenge Porn Crisis Line
Cyberwise.org
danah boyd's blog and book about networked youth
Disconnected, Carrie James's book on digital ethics
FOSI.org's Good Digital Parenting
The research of Global Kids Online
The Good Project at Harvard's School of Education
If you watch nothing else: "Parenting in a Digital Age" TED Talk by Prof. Sonia Livingstone
The International Bullying Prevention Association
Let Grow Foundation
Making Caring Common
Raising Digital Natives, author Devorah Heitner's site
Renee Hobbs at the Media Education Lab
MediaSmarts.ca
The New Media Literacies
Report of the Aspen Task Force on Learning & the Internet and our guide to Creating Trusted Learning Environments
The Ruler Approach to social-emotional learning (Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence)
Sources of Strength
"Young & Online: Perspectives on life in a digital age" from young people in 26 countries (via UNICEF)
"Youth Safety on a Living Internet": 2010 report of the Online Safety & Technology Working Group (and my post about it)

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