Teen Cyberbullying Investigated: Where Do Your Rights End and Consequences Begin?
Grade 7 Up—Among books recently published on this topic, this one distinguishes itself by covering more than 50 actual court cases involving teenagers. A note on the back states that the offensive language is quoted from court transcripts and should be taken in context. Although Judge Jacobs assures teenagers of their protected legal rights, especially First Amendment rights, the hearings are a sobering reminder of the real dangers and legal consequences of cyberbullying. He admits that laws differ from state to state and judges in one court will hand down different decisions from those in another. Cyberbullies are warned to expect the unexpected. Some of the cases were still pending at the time of publication. Although the text is explicitly addressed to teenagers, it would be helpful to school administrators who could refer to the court cases when dealing with cyberspace misuse and School Authorized Use Policies (AUPs). Crime/Justice and Participation in Government courses could use the questions and prompts posed at the end of each chapter for class discussion. Although further resources and Web sites are extensive, some legal journals would not be readily available to high school students. The layout includes sidebars, photos, and graphics. Promoting the values of civility and ethical behavior makes this book an even more timely and valuable purchase.—Peggy Fleming, Churchville-Chili High School, Churchville, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.