AUGUSTA — Students and teachers joined other supporters Monday in urging Maine lawmakers to pass a bill that would allow families to sue anyone who posts personal information about a child that could reasonably lead to harassment or violence.

The bill, aimed at protect Maine children from what’s known as doxxing, generated overwhelming support at a public hearing at the State House on Monday. Psychologists, advocates, educators and students said the practice of exposing personal information online can harm a child’s mental health and sense of security and could lead to threats, harassment and potentially violence.

“No minor should have to endure this level of targeted harassment and public exposure simply for expressing their beliefs,” said Sage Sculli, a senior at Gardiner Area High School who said she was doxxed while serving as a student representative on her district’s school board.

“This bill would provide a much-needed legal pathway for families to protect their children from doxxing and intimidation.”

Sculli was among about two dozen people who voiced support for LD 537, a bill sponsored by Rep. Melanie Sachs, D-Freeport, that was the subject of a hearing before the Judiciary Committee. It’s aimed at preventing the doxxing of children under 18 by allowing a family member, legal guardian or representative of a minor who is targeted to sue for damages on behalf of the minor.

“This bill is, unfortunately, desperately needed,” Sachs said Monday.

The bill comes as Rep. Laurel Libby, R-Auburn, has come under fire and was formally censured for posting photos on Facebook of a transgender student as part of her criticism against Maine’s policy of allowing transgender athletes to compete in girls’ high school sports.

Sachs submitted her bill before Libby made her Facebook post and said it came in response to a different incident in which she was contacted by a constituent in October 2023. In that incident, an adult in Maine was “relentlessly targeting a student in Freeport through social media posts, website content and podcasts,” she said.

Sachs did not name the student or adult, but the timing coincides with the targeting of a transgender cross-country athlete by conservative activists in online posts that included photos and personal information.

She said some states allow for criminal penalties or civil actions to address doxxing, but Maine has neither. The bill is aimed at stopping the doxxing of children by adults. Most schools have policies in place to prevent students from doxxing each other, Sachs told the committee.

“This is not a bill about identifying or protecting one specific group of children or another,” Sachs said. “Children under 18 of every faith, tradition, race, gender orientation, ability or disability … should not be doxxed for any reason by an adult.”

SUPPORT FROM ATTORNEY GENERAL

The committee heard overwhelmingly from students, educators and mental health professionals about the need for the bill, which is also supported by Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey. No one testified in opposition Monday.

Frey said in written testimony that doxxing is difficult to regulate because of the First Amendment. “But the language in this bill is carefully crafted to anticipate any potential First Amendment concerns and can be defended against a constitutional challenge,” he wrote.

Sculli, the student from Gardiner, said she was the focus of a public records request after speaking in support of transgender youth mental health. Details from the request were then used to paint a picture of her as immature and disrespectful on the social media platform X, Sculli said. “My family attempted to pursue legal action, only to be told nothing could be done,” she said.

She said the public records request came a day before an important AP Calculus test. “Instead of studying for that, I had to stay in the superintendent’s office and go through my personal communications and confer with legal counsel about the request,” she said.

Such incidents can make it difficult for students to focus on their education because they are afraid for their well-being, said Gorham High School Principal Brian Jandreau, who testified in support of the bill on behalf of several Maine principals.

“When minors are thrust into public controversy, their safety, mental health and sense of security are compromised, consequences that no child should have to endure,” Jandreau said. “Doxxing can lead to threats, harassment and lasting emotional distress.”

The Maine Psychology Association also submitted testimony in support of the bill, saying it can be more dangerous than cyberbullying because it involves revealing personal information that a person has not authorized for publication.

“Doxxing of a minor is the most heinous form of doxxing,” Douglas Kimmel and Diane Tennies, co-chairs of the association’s legislative committee, wrote in a letter. “It attacks a young person who no doubt already feels vulnerable and is often exposed to public scrutiny because of private characteristics that may bring them ridicule or threats of harm.”

While the bill was submitted before Libby posted photos of a transgender student from Greely High School who won a girls’ track championship last month, several people who testified in support of the bill cited that incident as a reason why the legislation is needed.

‘REPRENSIBLE AND ABUSIVE’

Jason Curry, a teacher who lives in South Portland, submitted a letter to the committee with over 1,100 signatures from people in support of the bill. The letter, which Curry said he signed but was not the author of, pointed to Libby’s actions as an example of why protections against doxxing are necessary.

“An elected official using a minor to advance a political agenda — and, without cause, labeling that child as a threat by stating their presence violated the safety of others — is not only reprehensible and abusive but should also be illegal,” the letter said.

“I’ve seen the effects of doxxing a student on the school they attend and the entire community,” Curry said. “No student wants additional police protection in their building. No student wants local media outlets surrounding the entrances to their school.”

Mai Knuuti, a Greely student, said the incident didn’t just have an effect on the student who was doxxed but also affected others. While she was not directly involved, Knuuti said she felt uneasy when she arrived at school the week after the post and saw news reporters outside.

“I support LD 537 as a person who cares about the safety of children everywhere, and especially within my community,” Knuuti said. “But also because it protects the safety of my friends, fellow students and peers.”