On Thursday, President Obama will convene a daylong White House Conference on Preventing Bullying.

USA Today reports:

It marks the first time a president has brought so much attention to the difficult and sometimes devastating problem. 

The goal of the conference, according to the White House, is to dispel a commonly held belief that bullying is a normal rite of passage for kids and share ideas about how the federal government and communities can help prevent bullying and deal with its consequences.

"This isn't an issue that makes headlines every day, but it is an issue that affects every single young person in the country," Obama says in a video about the conference posted Wednesday on Facebook.

Against the backdrop of high unemployment rates, a struggling economy, war and international crisis, it would have been easy to let this issue slip through the cracks. But with recent incidents of bullying caught on tape (and especially reports of harassment leading to suicide), we're glad it's getting the attention it deserves. 

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Read more at USA Today.

In other news: VIDEO: Sneak Peek of 'Love & Hip Hop.'

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