JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Just two weeks ago, a 13-year-old was charged with felonies in Nassau County after deputies said the teen created fake TikTok accounts to threaten another student’s life—a crime that’s growing across the country.

The teen’s arrest is just one example of the anti-bullying laws in Florida.

Although the case in Yulee happened behind a screen, it’s still a punishable crime. In Florida, children can be tried as adults depending on the severity of the offense.

John Philips, a Jacksonville attorney, says the Florida Legislature passed an anti-bullying act not just to hold threats accountable, but to criminally punish someone who could bully another person online into harming themselves.

“Crimes are crimes, and you can’t just look back and be like, ‘Oh, I was 12, I didn’t know better,’ or ‘I didn’t know my kid was doing this,’ because both parent and child can face responsibility when police and prosecutors say, ‘Alright, this crossed the First Amendment line,’” he explained.

The Cyberbully Research Center says two out of 10 children are cyberbullied every year, a number that’s grown steadily as many teens are spending as much time in virtual realities compared to being out in public.

Whether it’s constant harassment, cyberstalking, threats, or even imitation, cyberbullying is punishable by law in Florida.

If a person is convicted of misdemeanor cyberbullying, they may face a prison sentence of up to one year, a fine as much as $1,000, or both.

If a person is convicted of felony cyberbullying, they may face a prison sentence of up to five years, fines as high as $5,000, or both.

In the Yulee case, according to investigators, all of the evidence to charge the teen who attended Yulee Middle School was found on their phone. Even deleted messages can be used to prove harassment and threats.

Still, with the technological world rapidly changing, Philips says internet crimes like cyberbullying are also changing the legal system.

“The law has to catch up,” Philips said. “You know, it used to take repetitive violence twice for a child to get an injunction against another child. Now, because of harassment and because of stalking, they’ve lightened the physical requirement to one instance, plus some threats. The law is slowly trying to adapt to give children the right to fight back in courts, but it’s still very slow.”

Philips adds that most children who are convicted of cyberbullying are sent to juvenile court for their punishment, so they can focus on education and rehabilitation.

Philips’ advice to parents is to monitor their children’s behavior and the language they use online to prevent something like this from ending up on their permanent record.