For example, after the 2010 bullying-induced suicide of Phoebe Prince, a 15-year-old Irish immigrant who had recently enrolled at a high school in South Hadley, Mass., the state of Massachusetts enacted a law that bans bullying on all school grounds, buses, and activities. The law also mandates that every incident be investigated by school officials and reported to the parents of the students involved.
StopBullying.gov, a federal government website, recommends a number of steps to prevent or stop bullying.
The researchers did not disclose funding sources for their studies. Dr. Ryan, Dr. Freeman, and Dr. Rosenbaum each declared that they have no financial conflicts of interest.