A proposed law in New Mexico would restrict sex offenders from using any social media websites or sites that include instant messaging/chat room features that could be used by children under the age of eighteen. New Mexico Rep. Nate Gentry said yesterday that the bill was created in response to a growing number of instances around the country in which “convicted sex offenders have lured children into unsafe situations using social media” such as Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

A 2010 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health showed that in 82% of online sex crimes against minors, the offender used social networking sites to gain information about the victim’s likes and dislikes. Which certainly sounds like reason enough to us for consideration of the law. However it’s already recieving backlash from groups such as Reform Sex Offender Laws of New Mexico, which claims the law is unconstitutional and “doesn’t take into account that many of the people on the registry didn’t commit a crime against a minor.”

Last year, Louisiana enacted a similar law that required sex offenders and child predators to state their criminal status on their Facebook page and other social networking accounts.

How do you feel about laws banning convicted predators from social media sites? Do you favor New Mexico or Louisana’s strategy?