Important Legal Precedent

[Law & Order] There are morals to this tragic story:

1. If you're an attentive parent, you should recognize that it's one thing to monitor your child's wellbeing--but it's another to unwisely get caught up in the random details of adolescent social dramas. Any revenge your kid can dream up is cruel enough without the help of his/her jaded, cynical parents.
   
2. The people you encounter online are real. You may never meet them face-to-face, but it is still wise to behave as though they are human beings.
   
3. If you forget No. 2 above, you may end up with a very real $300,000 fine and prison time.
4. The people who, in the 1980s, blamed teen suicide on the deep-pocket music industry are today blaming deep-pocket social-networking Internet sites. That is, it's still possible to cash in on tragic teen deaths.
   

(Brandon Burt)