Louisiana lawmakers tried banning convicted sex offenders from joining online social media, like Facebook and Google+, but courts found it unconstitutional.  A new law takes a different approach.

Instead of an outright ban, this law requires sex offenders to mention their conviction in their online profiles.  State representative Jeff Thompson says it's no different than requiring them to notify the neighborhood when they move in.

"In today's society, people come into our homes via the Internet, whether it's Facebook or Pinterest or Instagram," Thompson said.  "We should have the same information available."

Thompson says he knows anyone intending to do harm isn't much for following rules, but there's value in the new law.

"This provides prosecutors with another tool to make sure that those people which intend harm to our children are going to face the consequences," he explained.

Penalties for failure to comply are the same as when convicted sex offenders fail to give notice in the real world -- two to ten years in prison.