HR0014 EnrolledLRB100 04175 RLC 14181 r 1HOUSE RESOLUTION 14 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, or coerce their child in order to correct behavior 10in their child that the parents believe is inappropriate; and 11 WHEREAS, This type of online victimization is associated 12with emotional distress and other psychological problems, 13including depression; and 14 WHEREAS, Cyber-bullying, especially by parents, can cause 15psychological harm, including depression, negatively impact 16academic performance, safety, and the well-being of the child 17and in some cases lead to extreme violent behavior, including 18murder and suicide; and 19 WHEREAS, Sixty percent of mental health professionals who 20responded to the Survey of Internet Mental Health Issues report

HR0014 Enrolled- 2 -LRB100 04175 RLC 14181 r 1having treated at least one patient with a problematic Internet 2experience in the previous 5 years; many of these clients were 3under 18 years of age; therefore, be it 4 RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE 5HUNDREDTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we 6urge Congress, consistent with the First Amendment to the 7United States Constitution, to pass a law prohibiting parents 8from cyber-bullying their children by posting messages or 9images on social media sites on the Internet that intimidate, 10coerce, harass, or cause substantial emotional distress to 11their children; and be it further 12 RESOLVED, That suitable copies of this Resolution be 13forwarded to each member of the Illinois Congressional 14delegation.