As of Jan. 1, 2015, Illinois state legislature passed a new law that gives school administrators the right to acquire students’ social media passwords if they are suspected of cyberbullying. The law also tasked school administrators to thoroughly investigate cases where students were intimidated, threatened or harassed online even if the cyberbullying doesn’t happen during school hours or on school property.

Am I the only one who feels like this is getting a little out of hand? I am quite aware of the traumatic effects that cyberbullying can have on teens, and I realize the state is trying to keep high school students safe from bullying that can lead to depression, anti-social behavior and suicide. Maybe I’m old fashioned, but if you are getting cyberbullied try this: close your laptop or turn off your phone. Instead of schools babying students by fighting their battles for them, how about you take matters into your own hands and stop using the social media websites that are causing you so much grief? Having access to a student’s Facebook will accomplish nothing. If administrators want to observe a student’s activity on Facebook, the information they want access to is public and available to everyone.

This year we’ve collectively witnessed the rise and fall of social media applications such as Yik Yak and Streetchat, where anonymous posting provided a camouflage for cyberbullies to wreak havoc. There was no way to track who bullied whom, yet people managed to overcome this “cyberbullying epidemic.” Both apps have lost their momentum and have become another demonstration of how fads come and go.

Schools are allowed to violate our Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable searches or seizures because the main purpose behind the new cyberbullying law is to minimize destructive behavior associated with it. Who or what are they protecting? When someone calls me a mean name over social media, I don’t turn to vandalism or arson to cope with my teenage angst. I take a deep breathe, count to ten, and pay that person a visit in person.