His own 11-year-old niece wanted an e-mail address and eventually got one, but she later told the attorney general that some of her friends gave it out and she got messages from people who said "mean things."

Shurtleff emphasized the difference between schoolyard bullying and cyber-bullying, in which the bullies have 24-hour access to their victims.

"I had no escape," Kenney said. "Everything followed me to school."

Darrel Stephens, chief of police for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department in North Carolina, said the key to protecting students from cyber-bullying is to learn about it early.

"I don't think people understand the effect cyber-bullying can have," he said. "The laws have not caught up with this kind of bullying."

Although the "Kill Kylie" Web page came down soon after it was put up, it took nine months to discover who made it. Two students were suspended from school, and the police had to be called because the bullying included a death threat. Details of police action related to the students are not available because they are juveniles. But Kenney said she did not know the students beyond speaking to them once or twice.

"No one should have to go through this," Kenney said. "Schools need to be trained to know how to deal with these types of situations."

Shurtleff said Utah does not have any policy on this type of harassment or bullying, but he would like to see a resolution passed on it.

"Right now, to me the best thing to do is educate and make people aware of it," Shurtleff said. "When it comes to the Internet, parents are generally less educated than the kids. Even law enforcement officers aren't quite up to speed."

His advice? "If your kid complains about bullying, take it seriously."

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E-mail: suzanne@desnews.com