Cyberbullying Legislation: Why Education is Preferable to
Regulation Berin Michael Szoka Adam D. Thierer George Mason
University - Mercatus Center June 19, 2009 Progress & Freedom
Foundation Progress on Point Paper, Vol. 16, No. 12, June 2009
Cyberbullying is a rising online safety concern. Compared to
previous fears about online predation, which have been greatly
overblown, concerns about cyberbullying are more well-founded.
Evidence suggests that cyberbullying is on the rise and can have
profoundly damaging consequences for children. In the wake of a
handful of high-profile cyberbullying incidents that resulted in
teen suicides, some state lawmakers began floating legislation
to address the issue. More recently, two very different federal
approaches have been proposed. One approach is focused on the
creation of a new federal felony to punish cyberbullying, which
would include fines and jail time for violators. The other
legislative approach is education-based and would create an
Internet safety education gr