We need robust federal protections against cyberbullying.

Cyberbullying is a psychologically torturous crime that can drive victims to suicide. When a victim doesn’t know who is harassing them or why they are being harassed, they internalize the messages, which leads to the destruction of their self esteem. The sense of being surrounded by attack causes the victim to retreat from online forums even though they may rely on those forums for school, work, and staying connected to family and friends. When this happens, the victim can fail in school, lose their job, avoid seeking new employment, and lose valuable supportive relationships. Some victims go through these experiences without ever telling another person, because of shame or fear of retaliation.

According to stopbullying.gov, “no federal law directly addresses [cyber] bullying.” Groups currently protecting Americans against cyberbullying are focusing their efforts on 3 populations: young people; journalists and activists; elected officials (especially women) whose perpetrators attempt to interfere with the democratic process by bullying them. 

Victims are reliant on state harassment laws which allude to cyberbullying but don’t explicitly address it, but the internet that Americans use is not delineated by state boundaries, and harassment can cross state or country lines to negatively affect American citizens.

Another path to protection are the policies of tech companies, but the Terms of Service are ever-changing. We cannot allow the dignity and mental health of Americans to be left to the whims of the personal preferences of tech CEOs and soft laws that manifest them.

We need robust federal protections against cyber-bullying that protect all Americans, and are not reliant on the limited coverage afforded by individual state laws, or the changing whims of tech CEO’s.