Another Reason to Monitor Your Kids Online

Parents, beware what your children post on Facebook. A Georgia appellate court ruled that parents of a seventh grader may be negligent because their son did not delete a fake Facebook page. In 2011, the seventh grade boy created a fake Facebook page making fun of a female classmate. The boy posted profanity and explicit comments, which allegedly defamed his classmate. When the girl found out, she told her parents; as a result, the boy was punished by both the school (in-school suspension) and his parents (grounded).

Unfortunately, the Facebook page remained up for 11 months. Facebook did not deactivate the account until the girl’s parents contacted Facebook.

The Georgia appellate court determined that the jury could find the boy’s parents were negligent because the defamatory statements were not removed. The court determined that the parents were informed of the problem and may therefore be found to have a responsibility to monitor the Facebook page:

Given that the false and offensive statements remained on display, and continued to reach readers, for an additional 11 months, we conclude that a jury could find that the [parents’] negligence proximately caused some part of the injury [the girl] sustained from [the boy’s] actions (and inactions).

The ruling is limited to the conduct after the initial posts. The appellate court upheld the dismissal of the claim that the parents were somehow responsible for the initial Facebook posts.

Sources: http://www.hotforsecurity.com/blog/parents-may-be-responsible-for-childrens-facebook-posts-10601.html http://www.bizjournals.com/atlanta/morning_call/2014/10/georgia-court-parents-can-be-held-liable-for-kids.html https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20141016/17421928853/dangerous-rulings-georgia-court-says-parents-may-be-liable-what-their-kids-post-facebook.shtml

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