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An Analysis of Anti-Bullying Laws in the United States
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 29 August 2025
Abstract
Bullying is a public health concern that results in diminished well-being for children and adolescents. One approach that lawmakers have taken to address bullying is enacting anti-bullying laws, which require school districts to establish bullying prevention policies. In this study, researchers used standard legal epidemiology methods to systematically retrieve and analyze anti-bullying laws in the United States (US). While they found that every US state and the District of Columbia has a school anti-bullying law, there is wide variation in their scope and requirements. Some jurisdictions specified requirements that school districts must implement in their anti-bullying policies, while others deferred policy enactment entirely to school districts. Given the differences in requirements and scoping afforded in anti-bullying laws, understanding the important components included in such policies can help provide policymakers and practitioners with information about bullying prevention strategies across jurisdictions.
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- Independent Articles
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- Creative Commons
- This is a work of the US Government and is not subject to copyright protection within the United States. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics
- Copyright
- © Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, 2025
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White et al. supplementary material
White et al. supplementary material
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