06/26/2025
🚨 NEW TENNESSEE LAW ALERT 🚨 Effective July 1, 2025
📣 What You Say Online (and Offline) Matters More Than Ever
👨👩👧👦 Parents: Talk with your kids. Know what they’re posting or sharing
Tennessee has passed a new law to help protect schools, public spaces, and individuals from serious threats and targeted harm. This law directly impacts how threats and personal information are shared, especially by youth.
⚠️ THREATS OF MASS VIOLENCE
🚫 It's Now a Felony to:
🔹 Knowingly threaten to commit an act of mass violence
🔹 Use any form of communication — including texts, social media, DMs, emails, voicemails, graffiti, drawings, or chat groups
🔹 Cause others to reasonably believe that a mass violence act will happen
Mass violence = any act that could cause serious injury or death to 4 or more people
📍Examples of where threats are taken even more seriously:
Schools (public/private, all levels)
Houses of worship
Government buildings
Live events
💥 Class D or E Felony, based on severity:
D Felony if threat is made toward a school, church, or live event
Enhanced if there’s evidence of planning (e.g., gathering weapons or materials, making maps, or surveillance)
📌 Courts may also order restitution to cover the cost of disrupting school or public safety operations, which means the parent(s) will pay this expense if court ordered.
🔐 POSTING PERSONAL INFORMATION WITH INTENT TO HARM “doxing” (also spelled "doxxing") Also effective July 1, 2025:
🚫 It's a misdemeanor offense to post someone’s phone number or home address on a public website or platform with the intent to cause harm or threats.
If someone is actually harmed, physically or by property damage, it becomes a Class A misdemeanor.
🔎 WHY THIS MATTERS FOR PARENTS & YOUTH:
📱 A social media post, group chat, or text can now lead to criminal charges
🏫 Schools take threats seriously. Even "jokes" can result in arrest
👨👩👧👦 Parents: Talk with your kids. Know what they’re posting or sharing
Parents, we urge you to talk to your kids about the new law and the seriousness of the act threats. Unfortunately the Robertson County Juvenile Court receives several complaints each year due to this type of conduct and behavior.
Please help spread the word and repost. Let’s work together to keep our schools, communities, and digital spaces safe.