It has been more than 20 years since the first state passed anti-bullying legislation. The Columbine High School massacre in 1999, in which 12 students and one teacher were fatally shot and 21 others wounded by two students who reportedly were bullied and acted as bullies, catapulted the topic of bullying to a new awareness.
Our society began learning about the broad impact bullying has on the mental, social and psychological well-being of our youths. How we define bullying has gradually expanded. The enormous growth of social media platforms has played a major role in how we interpret and describe it.
Lawmakers have responded. States across the country have laws that require schools to form and enforce policies to prevent and penalize bullying. According to the Cyberbullying Research Center, 49 states have mandates that schools must follow to effectively deal with bullying. However, the ever-evolving tech world and social media platforms make it difficult for educators and lawmakers to curtail it.
