Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin?

by Thomas A. Jacobs

How do teens know when they might be “one click away from the clink”? In Teen Cyberbullying Investigated, Judge Tom Jacobs presents a powerful collection of landmark court cases involving teens and charges of cyberbullying, which includes: sending insulting or threatening emails, text, or instant messages directly to someone; spreading hateful comments about someone through emails, blogs, or chat rooms; stealing passwords and sending out threatening messages using a false identity; and building a Web site to target specific people. Each chapter features the seminal case and resulting decision, asks readers whether they agree with the decision, and urges them to think about how the decision affects their lives. Chapters also include related cases, important facts and statistics, and suggestions for further reading. With an ever-increasing number of serious cases of cyberbullying and school violence, this book is needed more urgently than ever.

Genres: Young Adult, Law

205 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Aimee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This title was well written and informative. The cases selected to inform the reader on Cyberbullying were interesting and well rounded. There was accuracy in the telling of each case, the verdict, and discussion questions to prompt the reader to think about the circumstances surrounding each trial. The subject was meticulously researched and there was much strength in the writing, for this reason. The footnotes and quotes that were included along the margins, added an appreciation for the material and made the reading more compelling. The only weaknesses were in how quickly the title was dated, as some results of the trials were not available at the time of publishing. This is a title that would take pushing to interest teens, as it is on a specific subject matter. It is a title that may also be recommended to parents, who are working with their teen on similar matters.

[Ed · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was written for teens or teachers. I'm looking forward to reviewing it for my information literacy class. It covers the spectrum of current digital technology, screensavers, IM Icons, websites blogs and social networking channels have all been used and abused. About half of the 16 cases cited find for the student's right of free speech. The other half explain how the law determines the severity of the threat, damage from libel, violation of terms of agreement, various other legal definitions. Best part is each section has a "where are they now?" section. Some had cases pending, others went on to lead really interesting lives!

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to read this book for a book report, and I was pleasantly surprised. I actually really enjoyed the book, and I think it should be a must read for those students and children just starting to use the Internet. Most people don't realize that the laws regarding the Internet are still developing, and there are a lot of issues and concerns that go along with that. The book was very interesting, and definitely exposed a new perspective that I hadn't thought about before.

[Amanda]

Started it last night and finished it today. It's a quick read that really helps you understand the laws (and lack thereof) regarding free speech when it comes to the Internet. There were some really interesting cases to read about. As an educator, however, the outcomes of quite a few of them literally made me angry. I think there need to be some restrictions put into place to protect people who are often harmed by these so-called "jokes".

[Melissa Stewart]

Excellent book for any parent concerned about bullying. I am currently in the process of applying to nursing school and I needed to write a research paper on this topic for my Growth & Development class. As a parent I found it very informative and helpful. A definite must read for parents!

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was most excellent. I think any and everyone should read this book, especially if you have teens, will have teens, teach teens, are around teens etc.

[Denise · Rating 5 out of 5]

A phenomenal book with mountains of information. Written with an understanding and viewpoint that many others don't have. Recommended to anybody with children who use the internet.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book gave a lot of great info and background on legal implications of cyberbulling.

[Shane]

I have recently finished the book, "Teen CyberBullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin?" By Thomas A. Jacobs and I think that there was a ton of information that I took in from this book. This book taught me many things I didn't know about cyber bullying, and where my rights begin and end. The great thing about this book was that it was almost as if it was telling a story, but I was just reading about extreme cases of cyber bullying. The problem in this book is that teenagers aren't thinking about the consequences when they post mean or unwanted things on the Internet. Some things people might not even consider mean, could be a huge violation in some cases. I think. That this claim is a policy. I think this because they are telling what has happened in the past with CyberBullying, and they are telling us what we can be done to solve the problems we experience with it. In the book it tells you that something like just taking a funny picture of a student or teacher in school, is considered CyberBullying and would be taken very seriously. From this book, I learned that this sort of thing could get you into serious legal trouble. From reading this book I am now very aware of what I post on the Internet and I try to be as safe as possible. I would recommend this to every single teen out there. It is important that people know the limits of the Internet. It is also important that all teenagers know about it. I really enjoyed this book and I really value the information it gave me.

[Sarah Maddaford · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this book was a bit more confusing in its answers to the question the title asks than it should have been. Maybe the law is still too confusing, but if I were to write a book like this, most of my answers would be: You can never take back what you put on the Internet. You should never post anything you might regret in ten years or that you wouldn't want to show your grandmother.

The book is split into separate cases which further confuses the issue for me. It was fascinating to see some of the instances where the only reason someone got away with what they posted was because they weren't on school property. Even posting at home had the potential for trouble if you caused a big enough disturbance at school. I knew about one or two of the cases, but there were dozens more than I had imagined there being.

There is a fair amount of cursing, threatening language and some rather ugly implications made about other people because the author doesn't censor the posts that got these teens taken to court. There is no real violence, but some of the teens were taken to court for threats of violence. The sexual innuendo or blatantly obscene terminology used to talk about teachers and fellow students is excerpted but not censored, but this is not as prominent as simple cursing.

[Maheen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for all teens and their parents.I think this book is also written for teachers as well. The book explores what students' rights and responsibilities are and how they can change once they step on school grounds. It's written by an expert in this field and a former juvenile court judge in Arizona (the author Tom Jacobs). Tom Jacobs shows how cyber buyllying was taken to courts. The book is an amazing read to show readers what happens when you do mean things to others or to teachers on the Internet and click the send or post button. Nothing ever gets deleted and your reputation is ruined forever! There is no going back once that is done. Judge Jacobs explains court cases of teens and what their consequences were in great detail! I highly recommend this book to my peers to read!

[VaughanPL]

here

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very eye opening!