Cyberbullying Victims Fight Back in Lawsuits

Alex Boston, 14, sits in her home in Acworth, Ga. Boston's family this month filed a libel lawsuit claiming two classmates humiliated her by using a doctored photo to set up a phony Facebook account in her name, and then stacking the page with phony comments claiming Boston was sexually active, racist, and involved in drugs.

—David Goldman/AP

Advocates say laws need to be stronger to protect students

By The Associated Press

When a Georgia middle school student reported to police and school officials that she had been bullied on Facebook, they told her there was not much they could do because the harassment occurred off campus.

So the 14-year-old girl, Alex Boston, is using a somewhat novel strategy to fight back: She's slapping her two classmates with a libel lawsuit.

As states consider or pass cyberbullying laws in reaction to high-profile cases around the country, lawyers and other experts say many of the laws aren't strong enough, and lawsuits such as this one are bound...