Anti-Bullying Laws and Youth Risky Health Behaviors

• Authors: Caterina Muratori and Joseph J. Sabia
• Journal of Population Economics, Vol. 39, No. 3, Article 47, September 2026

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has urged a coordinated “public health approach” to combatting bullying in schools, in part due to concerns that bullying victimization causes teens to turn to risky behaviors as a coping mechanism. This study provides new evidence on the effect of anti-bullying laws (ABLs) on youth risky health behaviors. Using data from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveys and a generalized difference-in-differences approach, we find little evidence that ABL adoption leads to statistically significant or economically meaningful reductions in binge drinking, tobacco use, marijuana use, risky sex, or body weight for the average teenager. However, for some historically marginalized youth—particularly those who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or questioning—we find some evidence of ABL-induced improvements in behavioral health, especially with respect to binge drinking. This finding is consistent with disproportionate ABL health gains for queer youth.