Cyberstalking law takes effect as of Jan. 1st

Cyberstalking in Illinois is now against the law since the beginning of Jan. 2010.

Cyberstalking might be a new concept to parents who never envisioned their child being a target to bullies. Different from past generations, school yard bullies now have unlimited access to different forms of technology to communicate with their targets by using social media sites and texting.

I'm afraid to mention that I am just a hair to old to understand the full extent of cyberstalking or cyberbullying. But I am guilty of watching the show "Gossip Girl" which fully illustrates the new world of social communication between teens using text messaging and social media sites.

The problem is what we see on television especially on shows similar to Gossip Girl - where teens gossip about one another has "dramatically escalated" in "real life" - by the form of "bullying and stalking" which in some cases the victims have even taken their own life.

Over forty other states now have provisions of anti-bullying and cyberstalking on their books.

In Illinois cyberstalking is a Class 4 felony as of Jan. 1st according the Illinois General Assembly Web site. The law says the conduct of two or more acts, by any action, method or device or means, follows, monitors or observes, threatens or communicates to or about a person is subject to prosecution if they electronically communicate causing a victim emotional distress (significant mental suffering, anxiety or alarm), harass (engage in a knowing and willful course of conduct directed at a specific person that alarms, torments, or terrorizes that person) and non- consensual contact (any contact the victim that is initiated or continued without the victim's consent).

One legal expert who appeared on Good Morning America mentioned there are steps parents can take to talk to their children about this issue:

1. Tell children to get a trusted adult involved as soon as the bullying starts and contact legal authorities
2. Tell them not to react to the perpetrators openly
3. Help children deal with the emotional pain
4. Help block emails and social media accounts
5. Encourage children to report the harassment to the social media sites or internet provider.