The " Web " - and the courts !

Rebellious teenagers are an item in many families.   The cause of the disharmony usually revolves around issues such as house rules, curfews and culture clashes but an eighteen year old named Rachel in New Jersey has broken new ground by taking her parents to court to demand they pay her $ 700 a month " tuition fees ".

In addition to the court action, she has also established a Facebook fan page under the heading " Education for Rachel " and is fast attracting a following.  It certainly opens a new front in the communication wars.  We hear many lurid accounts of bullying on the Internet, but usually the victims are young people or the worldly famous.  In this instance, it seems to be a teenager seeking to bully her parents.  The parents have now established a Facebook page - to tell their side of the story.

The judge hearing the case appears less than impressed with Rachel.  His finding that she is foul mouthed and disrespectful is hardly sympathetic and the fact that she has run away from home indicates that she has " abandoned " her parents.   She is now living with the family of a school friend and this raises the question of whether - at eighteen - she has any claim on her parents for support.

Like many American parents, it seems that Rachel's Mum and Dad established a College fund when she was a baby.  This seems to be what she is after.   She says she wants to continue her education, but the court action involves the " ownership " of this college fund.  It was established for a purpose and is something that Rachel made no contribution.

It is evident that Rachel is a worldly wise young woman who knows how to pull the social levers to attain her aims.   That Facebook page seeks to enlist an army of supporters to harass her parents, but it will also raise the spectre of kids suing their parents for their unmet desires.   It could be the first step on a very slippery slope.

The legal aspect will no doubt reach conclusion in an American court, but the use of social media to gain one's aim is fast evolving into a vicious weapon that requires a set of rules.   It is unclear what legalities apply to cyber space and it seems most users are free to make claims without penalties.

Like all other new phenomenon - the Internet needs to be included in the legal framework in which we live !