This ABC News article provides a lot of detail about the Myspace “hoax” that contributed to the suicide of 13 year old Megan Meier. Unlike previous accounts, it names the woman who tormented Megan in the guise of a teenaged boy. In one section the article notes:
Last week the board of aldermen in the Meiers’ hometown, Dardenne Prairie, Mo., passed a law making Internet bullying a misdemeanor in the town.
I haven’t seen the text of the law but I expect it will be hard to enforce, assuming it is even constitutional as drafted. In my opinion it makes more sense to limit anonymity than content, but neither is easy or cost free. You can learn a lot more about “cyberbullying” here.
–Ann Bartow
Update: NYT story on the same topic here.
