This topic recently keeps coming up when discussing social media. In fact, there is proposed legislation in Florida to hold parents criminally liable for their kids’ cyber bullying. The typical scenario starts out like this: School age child goes to school and is picked on. Kids then harass her/him at school and on social media. In some of the most recent cases, the bullied child commits suicide as a final resort in dealing with the issues. Are the parents of the bullies to blame at all?
Most states will hold a parent liable for their kids in civil court and criminalize the act of “contributing to the delinquency of a minor.” However, what about criminal charges stemming from what the parent’s child actually did or being a bad, uninvolved parent?