Family of bullying victim says focus should shift to suicide prevention

By Staff Writer

The aunt of a teenage girl who committed suicide earlier this year recently said that more attention should be paid to the problem of teen suicide.

Eileen Moore, the aunt of Phoebe Prince, appeared on ABC's Good Morning America and said that school bullying is leading to an increased number of teen suicides in the U.S. Moore recommended that parents and educators need to start paying attention to their children more because a lot of adolescents internalize their pain and despair.

Prince, who attended a Massachusetts-based high school, made national headlines last January when she killed herself following a string of bullying incidents. According to the news provider, the incident led to the Bay State's passage of a new anti-bullying law. Moore said that while many schools and communities have focused on addressing bullying issues, there should be more focus on suicide prevention.

Prince, who would have turned 16 this past November, recently moved to the U.S. from Ireland with her family. According to ABC News, her friends said that many students taunted and teased Prince not just in person, but through text messages and social networking websites.

According to a survey conducted by the Cyberbullying Research Center, a total of 7.5 percent of students reported being harassed online in 2009.