St. Louis ? The public’s frustration over the inability to punish those accused of using a phony identity to send hurtful messages to a teenager who later killed herself has pushed policymakers into action. But some experts are already questioning whether the new laws will work in an electronic medium that is evolving daily.

Since the story of 13-year-old Megan Meier’s suicide became public last month, at least two local cities have made Internet harassment a crime. Megan’s hometown of Dardenne Prairie, Mo., was first. Then Florissant, Mo., followed up with its own ordinance.

“Somebody has got to do something,” said Dardenne Prairie Mayor Pam Fogarty. “This is uncharted territory. Well, somebody’s got to put the chart down.”

In coming weeks, St. Louis, St. Louis County, St. Charles, O’Fallon, Mo., and St. Charles County are expected to consider similar measures targeting online harassment.

But, those measures are weak and “100 percent symbolic,” said St. Louis attorney J. Bradley Young, an Internet and computer law expert.

“People are jumping on the bandwagon because it’s good politically,” Young said. “But I do see the Dardenne Prairie and the Florissant ordinances as instigators for state, and perhaps federal legislation.”

Legal experts warn against an emotionally driven response to Megan’s death. Regulating rapidly evolving technology is difficult, they say, and targeting communication over the Internet is especially troublesome.

“Harassment runs squarely into First Amendment rights, particularly over the Internet,” Young said. “Where does free speech end and where does harassment begin? That is an ill-defined concept.”

The rush to pass new laws on behalf of Megan could backfire because of the challenges of establishing jurisdiction in a global technological landscape, as well as tracking the source of evidence and balancing regulations with protecting constitutional rights.

Raymond Schroeder, director of the Office of Technology-Enhanced Learning at the University of Illinois at Springfield, says a major challenge is enforcing cyberlaws because cruel messages may come not from down the block, but from across the globe.