Cyber Bullying

In the 1990s, California led the way for all 50 states to create anti-stalking laws, but with the growth of the Internet, people are not only being stalked physically, but are also being cyber-stalked. Computer harassment, or "cyber-stalking," has become a rampant problem in the late 20th and the early 21st centuries, and therefore, 44 states have created some form of cyber-stalking laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.

Several news articles cite that there have been problems with unattended children who communicate with others online and navigate through unmonitored Web pages. The Internet is a global network at which legislatures are taking a deep look because the abundance of content available on the Internet is not highly monitored right now. These news articles include stories of children who are physically bullied at school but then arrive home to their computer, only to be cyber-bullied again.

Many issues come to light from cyber-bullying cases, including the daunting question, how far is too far? How far can a cyber-stalking law go before it infringes one's First Amendment rights? We all have the right to browse Internet sites and chat without harassment, and hopefully cyber-stalking laws will continue to be amended to not infringe people's rights but to also protect people from being harassed.