Article Figures & Data
Tables
Cyberstalking the use of electronic communications to repeatedly follow, threaten, or engage in malicious behaviors directed at one or more people Cyberharassment the use of electronic communications to annoy, bother, or torment one or more people for no legitimate purpose Cyberbullying the use of electronic communications by a minor to bother, annoy, or degrade another minor, usually during school-related events, but may also occur outside of the school context Reprinted, with permission, from State Cyberstalking, Cyberharassment, and Cyberbullying Laws, 2010.
Age of Offender Age of Victim Jurisdiction Integrated Offline and Online* Definition of Electronics Evaluation Treatment† Sex Offense Registration Sexual Solicitation Allows Use of a Device Protective Order Family Member‡ Alabama ■ ■ ■ Alaska ■ ■ ■ ■ Arkansas ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Arizona ■ ■ ■ ■ California ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Colorado ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Connecticut ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Delaware ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ District of Columbia ■ ■ ■ Florida ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Georgia ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Hawaii ■ ■ ■ Idaho ■ ■ ■ ■ Illinois ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Indiana ■ ■ ■ ■ Iowa Kansas ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Kentucky ■ ■ ■ Louisiana ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Maine ■ ■ ■ Maryland ■ ■ Massachusetts ■ ■ ■ Michigan ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Minnesota ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Mississippi ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Missouri ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Montana ■ ■ ■ ■ Nebraska ■ ■ ■ ■ Nevada ■ ■ ■ ■ New Hampshire ■ ■ ■ ■ New Jersey ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ New Mexico ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ New York ■ ■ ■ ■ North Carolina ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ North Dakota ■ ■ ■ ■ Ohio ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Oklahoma ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Oregon ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Pennsylvania ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Rhode Island ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ South Carolina ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ South Dakota ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Tennessee ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Texas ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Utah ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Vermont ■ ■ ■ ■ Virginia ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Washington ■ ■ ■ ■ West Virginia ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Wisconsin ■ ■ ■ ■ Wyoming ■ ■ ■ ■ Federal ■ ■ Total 8 19 23 40 29 10 3 24 16 39 34 ↵* States in which the same anti-stalking statute applies to both online and offline stalking behavior.
↵† States whose anti-stalking statute allows for court-mandated psychiatric evaluation or treatment for perpetrators either pre- or post-conviction.
↵‡ States whose anti-stalking statute explicitly criminalizes the transmission of threatening statements made to the victim about their family members.
State Statute Language Alaska Alaska Stat. § 11.41.260 A person commits the crime of stalking in the first degree if … the victim is under 16 years of age. Connecticut Conn. Gen. Stat. § 53a-181c [A] person is guilty of stalking in the first degree when such person commits stalking in the second degree and … the other person is under 16 years of age. Delaware 11 Del. C. § 1312 Stalking is a class F felony if a person is guilty of stalking and one or more of the following exists: (1) The person is age 21 or older and the victim is under the age of 14 [… ]; or (3) The victim is age 62 years of age or older [… ]. Florida Fla. Stat. § 784.048 A person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows, harasses, or cyberstalks a child under 16 years of age commits the offense of aggravated stalking, a felony of the third degree. Idaho Idaho Code § 18–7905 A person commits the crime of stalking in the first degree if [… ] the victim is under the age of sixteen (16) years. Illinois 720 ILCS 135/1/2 Harassment through electronic communications is [… ] transmitting an electronic communication or knowingly inducing a person to transmit an electronic communication for the purpose of harassing another person who is under 13 years of age, regardless of whether the person under 13 years of age consents to the harassment, if the defendant is at least 16 years of age at the time of the commission of the offense. Louisiana La. R.S. 14:40.2 Any person 13 years of age or older who commits the crime of stalking against a child 12 years of age or younger [… ] shall be punished by imprisonment with or without hard labor for not less than one year and not more than three years and fined not less than fifteen hundred dollars and not more than five thousand dollars, or both. Michigan MCLS § 750.411h [… ] if the victim was less than 18 years of age at any time during the individual's course of conduct and the individual is 5 or more years older than the victim, by imprisonment for not more than 10 years or a fine of not more than $15,000.00, or both [… ]. Minnesota Minn. Stat. § 609.749 A person who commits any [stalking] offense against a victim under the age of 18, if the actor is more than 36 months older than the victim, and the act is committed with sexual or aggressive intent, is guilty of a felony and may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 10 years or to payment of a fine of not more than $20,000, or both. Missouri R.S.Mo. § 565.225 A person commits the offense of stalking in the first degree if [… ] the other person is 17 years of age or younger and the person disturbing the other person is 21 years of age or older [… ]. Nebraska R.R.S. Neb. § 28–311.04 Any person convicted of [stalking] is guilty of a Class IV felony if [… ] the victim is under 16 years of age. New Mexico N.M. Stat. Ann. § 30–3A-3.1 Aggravated stalking consists of stalking perpetrated by a person [… ] when the victim is less than 16 years of age. New York NY CLS Penal § 120.55 A person is guilty of stalking in the second degree when he or she [… ] being 21 years of age or older, repeatedly follows a person under the age of 14 or engages in a course of conduct or repeatedly commits acts over a period of time intentionally placing or attempting to place such person who is under the age of 14 in reasonable fear of physical injury, serious physical injury or death. Ohio ORC Ann. § 2903.211 Menacing by stalking is a felony of the fourth degree if [… ] the victim of the offense is a minor. Rhode Island R.I. Gen. Laws § 15–15-1 “Sexual exploitation” means the occurrence of any of the following acts by any person who knowingly or willfully encourages, aids, or coerces any child under the age of eighteen (18) years. South Dakota S.D. Codified Laws § 22–19A-7 Any person who willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly follows or harasses a child 12 years of age or younger or who makes a credible threat to a child 12 years of age or younger with the intent to place that child in reasonable fear of death or great bodily injury or with the intent to cause the child to reasonably fear for the child's safety is guilty of the crime of felony stalking. Tennessee Tenn. Code Ann. § 39–17-315 A person commits aggravated stalking [if] the victim of the offense was less than eighteen (18) years of age at any time during the person's course of conduct, and the person is five (5) or more years older than the victim. Vermont 13 V.S.A. § 1063 A person commits the crime of aggravated stalking if [… ] the person being stalked is under the age of 16 years. Wisconsin Wis. Stat. § 940.32 Whoever [commits stalking] is guilty of a Class H felony if [… ] the victim is under the age of 18 years at the time of the violation.
