Trolls feel this gives them the freedom to speak slander and lies about people they might not even know and have no fear of the consequences;" Such as the case of Megan Meier Published in a article by Sarah Wienke titled Missouri cyberbullying conviction dismissed, but prosecutions may not end; Meier a 13 year old girl who was romanced by a fake boy, that later rejected her; compelling her to hang her self "after reading a message from the fake boy saying the world would be better off without her," (Wienke) over the social media website MySpace
The boy was later discovered to be the mother of an old friend; the culprit Lori Drew was charged for violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, but her conviction was reversed in an appeal imposing no consequences on Drew.
In The United States defamation is considered a tort that can be penalized with a jail sentence or a fine. An article published by the state of Virginia encourages teens to familiarize themselves with the law in a question and answer style the author writes, "What is a Tort? Tort usually refers to injuring a person, causing damage to his or her property or reputation, or harming someone's commercial interest." If a juvenile commits a tort he or she is not clear of conviction simply because he is a minor, "In Virginia, parents of persons under the age of 18 may be held liable for up to $2,500." (VirginiaRules) Free Speech is often times misinterpreted by teenagers and unfortunately some parents are oblivious themselves. Parents should first be responsible for learning and then explaining to their children the meaning of Free Speech and the consequences of its misinterpretation in the same manor that they explain things like safe sex or the use of drugs. The knowledge of Free Speech should then simplify the process by which they explain defamation. .
In England Members of Parliament had their share of trolling attacks before they decided to confront the issue.