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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, Four out of five children aged 2 to 17 in the
3United States live in a home in which either they or their
4parents access the Internet; and
 
5    WHEREAS, Youth who create Internet content and use social
6networking sites are more likely to be targets of
7cyber-bullying; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Some parents use social media as a means to
9discipline, embarrass, or coerce their child in order to
10correct behavior in their child that the parents believe is
11inappropriate; and
 
12    WHEREAS, This type of online victimization is associated
13with emotional distress and other psychological problems,
14including depression; and
 
15    WHEREAS, Cyber-bullying, especially by parents, can cause
16psychological harm, including depression, negatively impact
17academic performance, safety, and the well-being of the child
18and in some cases lead to extreme violent behavior, including
19murder and suicide; and
 
20    WHEREAS, Sixty percent of mental health professionals who

 

 

HR0588- 2 -LRB099 12745 RLC 36538 r

1responded to the Survey of Internet Mental Health Issues report
2having treated at least one patient with a problematic Internet
3experience in the previous 5 years; many of these clients were
4under 18 years of age; therefore, be it
 
5    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
6NINETY-NINTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we
7urge Congress, consistent with the First Amendment to the
8United States Constitution, to pass a law prohibiting parents
9from cyber-bullying their children by posting messages or
10images on social media sites on the Internet that embarrass,
11intimidate, coerce, harass, or cause substantial emotional
12distress to their children; and be it further
 
13    RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this Resolution be
14forwarded to each member of the Illinois Congressional
15delegation.