NEW: Rhode Island Ranks Among Bottom 10 States With "Bullying Problems"

NEW: Rhode Island Ranks Among Bottom 10 States With "Bullying Problems"

Rhode Island has a low ranking in a new study for "states with bullying problems" -- and that's a good thing. 

"About 20% of students ages 12-18 experience bullying, whether in-person, online or both. Bullying takes many forms, from spreading rumors and insults to physical violence and property destruction. Technological advances have opened new ways for bullies to hide behind anonymity on the internet, too," said WalletHub on Wednesday when it released its analysis.

WalletHub looked at "bullying prevalence, bullying impact and treatment, and anti-bullying laws" and found that the state with the biggest "bullying problem" is California according to their research; the state with the least "bullying problem" is Delaware. 

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Rhode Island ranked #46 in a list where number one had the biggest problem. 

"Besides the physical, emotional and psychological tolls it takes on victims, bullying produces adverse socioeconomic outcomes. The Association for Psychological Science found that those who are bullies, victims or both are more likely to experience poverty, academic failure and job termination in their adulthood than those who were neither. In addition, the affected individuals are more likely to commit crime and to abuse drugs and alcohol," said WalletHub. 

"Even our schools take a financial hit from bullying. Research shows that schools stand to lose millions of dollars in attendance-based funding due to students staying home to avoid bullying," they continued. 

48 states and the District of Columbia were ranked; WalletHub said, "Unfortunately, due to data limitations, the following states were excluded from our analysis: Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington."

See the full rankings here.