Digital Smarts - Could Parents Be Liable for a Nasty Facebook Page?

Can parents be liable for a nasty social networking page created by their child and used to bully another? It is a question that many schools and parent groups are debating these days and is now playing out in a Georgia courtroom. Recently the Georgia Court of Appeals reversed a lower court's decision, ruling that a jury be allowed to consider parents liable for their child’s internet activity. Up for deliberation in this case is whether the parents are responsible for failing to supervise their son's use of the home computer, which was used to engage in bullying by creating a false Facebook page filled with sexual and racist comments and altered pictures. The parents were aware that the page was online for 11 months before it was deactivated by Facebook.