Anti-bullying laws (ABLs) are highly effective in reducing suicidal behaviors among overweight and obese high school students in the U.S., according to a new study co-authored by a University of Massachusetts Amherst doctoral student.

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Drawing on data from the national and state youth risk behavior surveys spanning more than two decades, the research shows that ABLs are associated with a 6-19% reduction in suicidal behaviors among overweight and obese teens. Published in Health Economics, the study is the first to examine how state-level ABLs influence mental health disparities between heavier adolescents and their healthy-weight peers. 

“In particular, the channel where these laws are working is the peer interaction, the peer bullying,” explains Bijesh Gyawali a third-year doctoral student in the Department of Resource Economics at UMass Amherst. 

The research documents a 19% decline in suicide attempts requiring medical treatment after ABLs were enacted, and a nearly 9% reduction in suicide attempts overall. The proportion of teens who reported making a suicide plan fell by 7%, and those who said they were seriously considering suicide decreased by 6%.

“We think these laws are improving mental health for those who were the most at-risk,” says co-author Brandyn F. Churchill, assistant professor of public administration and policy at American University. “It’s the ones who are experiencing those most negative social interactions, and the ones for whom it is the most detrimental to their mental health.”

These effects were most pronounced among obese teenage girls, a group that faces disproportionate bullying and mental health burdens. By contrast, the study found no statistically significant changes in suicidality among healthy-weight teens.

However, the research team, which also includes Joseph Sabia of San Diego State University, found no changes in teens’ self-image, weight-loss goals or body mass index, indicating that the mental health improvements are due to better school environments rather than physical or perceptual changes.

In addition, the study found that ABLs are associated with a 12% reduction in cyberbullying for overweight and obese teenage girls.

“This is the elephant in the room,” Gyawali adds. “Bullying occurred before the internet existed but now it’s just moved online,” pointing out that ABLs provide protections that extend beyond school grounds and into digital spaces, where harassment often continues.

Over the past two decades, the U.S. has faced simultaneous surges in both youth obesity and adolescent mental health issues. About 35% of young Americans are now considered overweight or obese. During the same period, teen suicide rates and hospital admissions for self-harm have also soared.

All 50 states have ABLs on the books. Typical provisions include sanctions for bullying, procedures for documenting incidents and identifying repeat offenders, school-level enforcement standards, and education and awareness programs for students, staff, and parents. The research suggests that comprehensive laws—particularly those focusing on punishment and tracking repeat offenders—are the most effective.

The study notes the overwhelming majority of ABLs do not address appearance- and weight-based bullying, which remains one of the most common forms of school violence.

“We think this speaks to the ability for the policy to maybe be enhanced or go beyond what it’s already doing,” Churchill notes.