Arizona State Sports & Entertainment Law Journal

Louisiana is working on a bill that would make cyberbullying a crime. It would be a misdemeanor to harass or intimidate someone online or via text message who was under the age of 17. This law is in response to a rise in suicides and suicide attempts by teens who were harassed online and via text across the nation, and would try to fill in the gap between parents, children, and the school system to ensure that bullying did not get out of control. The law is criticized for being overly broad though as it criminalizes the “intent to coerce, abuse, torment, intimidate, frighten, harass, embarrass or cause emotional distress to another person”. The committee was unanimous in pushing the bill forward to the Louisiana House though. The penalties for violating the law would be a prison sentence of up to six months and a fine up to $500. A second conviction could result in up to one year of jail time and a fine up to $2,000. Third and subsequent convictions would require at least one year in jail and up to a three-year sentence, with a fine of up to $5,000.