Being a kid is hard, and having your personal information shared on the internet in ways that jeopardize your safety or hurt you doesn’t make it any easier.

Legal protection against doxing is desperately needed in today’s world. As more children and adolescents gain access to social media and other online platforms, their risk for being doxed increases. That’s why I’m co-sponsoring LD 537, “An Act to Prohibit the Doxing of a Minor and to Authorize a Related Civil Action,” introduced by Rep. Melanie Sachs of Freeport.

Doxing is when a person’s identifying information, like their name and address, is disclosed publicly without their consent and with the intent to cause harm. Currently, there aren’t any criminal or civil penalties for doxing in Maine — LD 537 would ameliorate this.

Doxing makes a bad situation worse for vulnerable teenagers. A study supported by the National Institute of Health determined that the United States is facing “an adolescent mental health crisis.” Children experiencing depression are at risk for engaging in self-harm and in some cases, suicide. The public disclosure of their private information can further worsen their mental health.

The bill would protect the children of Maine from cyberbullying and give parents an effective response to online behavior that demeans children, exposes them to ridicule and can inflict severe emotional or physical harm. It comes at a time when vulnerable groups need it most.

Depression in young girls is rising over three times faster than in boys. And according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “(Lesbian, gay and bisexual) youth are more than twice as likely as their heterosexual peers to experience persistent sadness or hopelessness, and transgender and gender diverse youth are more than twice as likely as their non-transgender and gender diverse peers to experience depressive symptoms, serious suicidal ideation, or suicide attempts.”

Growing up is a deeply personal journey that every child navigates along their own path. LD 537 would protect all Maine children. Doxing violates not only these children’s privacy, but also their sense of personal safety. LD 537 would create an avenue for the families of at-risk youth to protect their children if they’re doxed. It enables them to bring a civil action on the child’s behalf to stop the conduct and receive compensation for harm.

By creating a pathway toward justice for doxed children and their families, we’re protecting Maine’s most vulnerable and taking meaningful steps toward creating a safer state for everyone. No child deserves to be subject to cyberbullying and doxing, no matter what challenges they may face as they grow up. I am proud to support this bill and firmly believe in the privacy and safety of children that it seeks to safeguard.

Anne Carney represents Maine Senate District 29, which consists of Cape Elizabeth, South Portland and part of Scarborough. She can be reached at 207-287-1515, Anne.Carney@legislature.maine.gov or sign up for e-newsletter at mainesenate.org.