Introduction Several problems affect adolescents in today's society, ranging from low self-esteem to teen pregnancy and obesity. Also among these issues are the growing concerns and effects of harassment. Its epidemic is also beginning to be closely linked to the increasing number of teenage suicide rates in the United States and around the world. However, many adults may take bullying lightly, thinking that it is just part of being kids. Whereas for a teenager, bullying can have long-term effects as they transition into adulthood. However, in order to examine the long-term effects of bullying, one must be able to define what bullying is and determine its cause and effect. When defining what bullying is, a child's thoughts and feelings must be taken into consideration; in fact, a child's perception of bullying can be completely different from that of an adult. Therefore, it is imperative that initiatives be taken to understand an adolescent's perspective on the mechanisms involved in bullying in order to provide and/or create better prevention and intervention plans and programs (Frisén , Jonsson and Persson, 2007). In addition to defining what bullying is, it is also necessary to determine who the victims of bullying are as well as those who are most likely to become and/or be bullies. Once these factors are determined, an assessment of the long-term effects of bullying can be made and a prevention plan can also be created and implemented. With the growing issues and concerns surrounding bullying, it is surprising that no federal laws are in place. to help put an end to this epic problem. Unlike the absence of the federal government, state laws... middle of document ......es AdolescentBullying distinguish between the offending trajectories of men in the late Middle Ages?. Journal of Youth & Adolescence, 444-453. Bouffard, LA and Piquero, NL (2010). Defiance theory and life course explanations of persistent delinquency. Crime and delinquency, 227-252. Retrieved from Sage Journals: http://cad.sagepub.comTtofi, MM and Farrington, DP (2008). Bullying: short and long term effects and importance of distrust theory in explanation and prevention. Victims and Offenders, 3(2/3), 289-312. Office of Safe Schools. (nd). Retrieved from Florida Department of Education: http://www.fldoe.org Stuart-Cassel, V., Bell, A., & Springer, J.F. (2011). Analysis of state bullying laws and policies. Retrieved from the U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.govWhat is Bullying. (nd). Retrieved from stopbullying.gov: http://www.stopbullying.gov