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(April 9) -- Many parents will routinely check out their kids' Facebook page to keep an eye on what they're up to. But one mother who took it a step further by actually hijacking her son's page now stands accused of breaking the law.
Sixteen-year-old Lane New of Arkadelphia, Ark., filed a complaint after his mother, Denise New, read something she didn't like on his Facebook page, changed his password and began posting allegedly slanderous information on the page.
"Denise first hacked my Facebook and changed my password," Lane, who lives with his grandmother, said in his complaint. "She also changed the password to my e-mail so I could not change it. She posted things that involve slander and personal facts about my life."
On March 26, Clark County Prosecutor Todd Turner approved a misdemeanor charge of harassment against New, who says she was merely acting as any concerned parent would.
"I read things on his Facebook about how he had gone to Hot Springs one night and was driving 95 mph home because he was upset with a girl," she told KATV News, "and it was his friend that called me and told me about all this that prompted me to even actually start really going through his Facebook to see what was going on."
New admits that when her son forgot to log off from his account after using her computer, she changed his password and posted entries on his page that she had written.
"I probably made maybe three, maybe four actual postings," she told CBS News.
Though neither New, her son, nor the prosecutor has provided details on what the postings said, Lane maintains that they damaged his reputation.
Larry Rosen, author of "Rewired: Understanding the iGeneration and the Way They Learn" and a professor at California State University, says the case illustrates the hazards of trying to monitor your children online. "Sneaking onto your son's Facebook page is like sneaking and reading a teen's diary," Rosen told AOL News. "The online world is scary and confusing for many parents, but sneaking a peek at the Facebook page or anything on the computer just leads to less trust."
New says she will contest the charges. "I'm going to fight it. If I have to go up even higher up, I'm going to," she told KATV. "I'm not gonna let this rest. I think this could be a precedent-setting moment for parents."
The next scheduled court date in the case is May 12.
Facebook-Hacking Mom Faces Harassment Charge
Apr 9, 2010 – 4:14 PM
Tagged: ark., arkadelphia, Denise New, DeniseNew, facebook, larry rosen, LarryRosen, todd turner, ToddTurner
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