January 2026 marked the 22nd observation of National Stalking Awareness Month. People of all genders and ages have become victims of a stalker – or will be – including children. A new law in Maine, which took effect Jan. 1,  is the “Anti-Doxing Law.” Through this law, the families of minors (defined in Maine as anyone under 18) can sue anyone who has deliberately shared personal information about a child publicly, including where they live and go to school, how to contact them, photos, etc. Further, under Title 17-A, section 210-A, these actions are considered to be stalking when they are “directed at or concerning the minor or a close relation of that minor.”

The Nationwide Childrens’ Hospital website lists these common signs of stalking behaviors directed at children: Unwanted communication including persistent calling, texting, or social media messaging; physically following the child by showing up at their home, at their school, or at events; monitoring their digital activity through the use of tracking devices, spyware and hacking into accounts; unwanted gifts used to pressure or manipulate them; and spreading rumors or making false statements to harm the child.

Regarding child victims of stalking, Det. Matthew Ryan, domestic violence investigator with Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, said predominantly such cases occur when one parent is stalking the other and the child(ren) are put in the middle. He described a “somewhat frequent” scenario where one parent calling in for a wellness check when the child(ren) is/are with the other parent. “It’s attempting to use law enforcement to harass that parent.”

“Unfortunately, children are often witnesses to domestic violence between their parents. It is also common for them to become a means of retaliation while parents fight over custody or coach children to provide less than truthful statements against the other,” Ryan said. “As you can imagine, this often (takes) a severe phycological and emotional toll.”

Ryan said there have also been cases of a parent attempting to kidnap their children, or of the custodial parent fearing the estranged or divorced partner will do it. He recalled such a case from last year in which a father took his children out of state against court orders. The man messaged the children's mother saying without money from her they would all freeze to death. And he threatened to kill law enforcement if they tried to intervene.

"Thankfully, we were able to coordinate with local law enforcement where he was and safely retrieve the children as well as take him into custody unharmed.”

In situations concerning children, Ryan and officers develop a safety plan involving law enforcement, the school, and the Child Advocacy Center. Ryan often calls the Center for its services for the child and the family, from counseling to forensic interviews.

When the stalking occurs between family members, or people who shared a household within the six months prior to the stalking, Maine law defines it as “domestic violence stalking.” See statute at: https://www.mainelegislature.org/legis/statutes/17-A/title17-Asec210-A.html

An amendment to Maine’s Protection From Abuse Statute, Public Law 2025, Chapter 22, LD 586, went into effect on Jan. 1: “An Act to Provide a Court Authority to Issue Proximity Restrictions in Protection from Abuse Orders.” Sponsored by Sen. Joe Rafferty, this amendment makes clear a judge’s authority to order defendants to stay away from places frequented by victims, and specifying the distance they must keep from them.

These proximity restrictions also include schools. Does Maine Department of Education play a role in school stalking policy? Chloe Teboe, DOE director of communications, said via email, “We do not offer specific guidance on policies to school districts; our role is to work to ensure that districts have a collaborative, multidisciplinary team in place that forms the district’s safety committee, which then works through policies on the local level."

Boothbay Region High School Principal Dr. Tricia Campbell directed Boothbay Register/Wiscasset Newspaper to the schools’ web links, including one addressing protocol for family/relative stalking. According to this source, if/when such a threat is ocurring, it is elevated from harassment to child protection. Procedure is outlined in “Policy JLF, reporting child abuse or neglect,” established by local school boards to ensure compliance with state laws and the Child Protection Act. 

If a student tells a school staff member they have been stalked by a relative, the school, by law, must contact the local police and/or the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). Security protocol includes flagging the student’s file, a sign to office personnel and the School Resource Officer (SRO). The SRO then knows the family member is blocked from the campus. For more school policies information, visit https://shorturl.at/LO72v

Police Officer Larry Brown has been the SRO for both the elementary and high schools in Boothbay Harbor since 2009. He said his main focus is building relationships with the students and the staff. “I’m just Officer Brown. I walk around the halls talking with the kids and I love hearing about their achievements ... Who scored in the basketball or football game, or when (the drama club) won big at the (Maine Drama Festival) state competition. I like to know what’s going on. It’s all about relationships.”

Like Ryan, Boothbay Harbor Police Chief Doug Snyder is a trained domestic violence investigator. DVIs are specialists trained to investigate, document and manage these specialized cases. A DVI also conducts in-depth followups as they build cases for prosecuters. 

Snyder said there weren’t any child stalking – or any stalking cases in 2025, but there were three internet stalking situations. “The thing I worry about is online preditorial stalking we might not hear about ... That’s a growing concern for law enforcement. Are we lucky here, yes, probably. But it’s so easy to reach out to anyone on Facebook, Snapchat and other social media. If the pubic isn’t savvy enough with it, everyone can see their stuff. And, with Snapchat, you don’t know if someone has taken a photo of a post with their phone ... And, so, you can never be sure that (the posts) really go away.”

For stalkers, social media makes it very easy to “follow” someone, to find out a great deal of information about a person of interest, kids and adults. There are precautions that can be taken, but, for example on Facebook there is the ability to limit who can see your posts – just friends or friends and acquaintances; however, if you post a comment on a friend’s post, others who have also commented on that post can click on your response and gain access to your homepage. Parental controls can be beneficial, particularly with young children, but are not foolproof.

Nationwide Childrens' Hospital suggests these steps to help keep children safe from stalkers: If the phone being used is part of a family plan, change your child(ren)’s phone numbers, turn off location services on both phones and all social media accounts, update passwords on a regular basis and use  two-factor authentication, check your child’s phone and social media accounts regularly, check for unknown devices, apps, or shared accounts that may allow tracking. Don’t post real-time locations, and do talk about online boundaries and what to do if someone makes them uncomfortable and block that person. Keep a log of dates, times, places and whether or not the stalking is through social media and always report all incidents to the local police.

Parents and their children can also visit https://www.wikihow.com/Spot-Common-Stalking-Behavior and SPARC the Stalking, Prevention Awareness and Research Center (SPARC) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FollowUsLegally/. SPARC is holding a free webinar, "Stalking and Adolescents" on Feb. 17 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Register at  https://www.stalkingawareness.org/upcoming-events/