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2 Andover Township Middle School Girls Charged Over Instagram Threat

ANDOVER TOWNSHIP, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- Two middle school girls from Andover Township, New Jersey are in trouble with the law over social media posts.

As CBS2's Ali Bauman reported, police said they traced the IP address of an Instagram picture threatening kids at Long Pond School to two teenage girls. The image has since been deleted, but law enforcement wants to send a message to teens that even if a social media post is private, there is no taking it back once they hit that "post" button.

It started with an Instagram picture of the school with the caption, "Andover kids watch out for Tuesday, crazy (blank) is going to happen."

There were also comments with threats against certain students.

Now two girls – 13- and 14-year-old students – have been charged with harassment and cyberharassment – a crime only 3 years old in New Jersey.

Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch described the basis for such charges as when an "individual posts either a threat to a person or property, or things like lewd or obscene materials about another person, attempting to harass them or cause them damage."

While harassment is the equivalent of a misdemeanor in New Jersey, cyberharassment is the equivalent of a felony for which the girls could face up to 60 days in a juvenile detention center.

"It's much easier to gain a mob mentality that would go after that person, so the person can become more injured, I believe, more from the cyber-type posts versus as individual communication," Koch said.

Some parents believe it is just kids being kids.

"I'm just glad I don't have teenage girls anymore," one parent said.

"I think it's something that needs to be handled by the school and parents," said another parent, Daphne Thompson.

"If they were a little bit older – if you said they were 15 or 16 - then that would probably be a little bit more concerning," said Mark McDonough. "But I guess 13, that's kind of young."

The county prosecutor said when social media posts cross the line from banter to serious or physical threats, they must step in. But he said it is up to parents to teach their teens smart social media practices.

"Think of it as if mom and dad are going to see it, and if they're going to see it and they're OK with me posting it, then it's probably OK," Koch said.

As CBS2's Jessica Layton reported, experts on Tuesday emphasized how much damage cyberbullying can cause.

"Words, even words -- digital words matter. Images matter," said social media expert Lance Ulanoff, chief correspondent at Mashable. "Social media and digital harassment is a very real thing."

Ulanoff said parents should be on every social media site their children are on, and understand that the sites as well as their tech-savvy teens.

"You should understand on Instagram, you can send direct messages -- and now you can basically do live video feeds," he said.

Ulanoff said parents should be aware of their kids trying to trick them with fake social media accounts, which they do not really use to communicate with friends. He said parents should also set time limits for checking social media on the family computer, as well as the smartphone.

"And the other thing is you don't let them go to bed with their phone," Ulanoff said.

Parents agreed that guidance and limits are mandated.

"I think that in today's society, you have to be extremely involved with your children. I think you have to be overly involved with your children, whether they like it or not," added parent Keira Shust.

The school day on Tuesday came and went at Long Pond School without any problems, despite the threats in the post.

The superintendent did not want to go on camera, but said there is usually a police presence at the school and this week is no different. CBS2 did not see police at the school during the dismissal.

The school declined to comment on whether it would also be disciplining the two students. They are due
in Superior Court later this month.

The girls could also be required to go to a training course on cyberharassment, and their parents could also be required to attend by a judge.

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