'Dr. Phil' tackles cyberbullying

McGraw told the subcommittee that kids who are cyberbullied are 1.9 times more likely to attempt suicide than the general population.

"I get tens of thousands of letters at 'The Dr. Phil Show' of kids asking for help about this," said McGraw. "It is a serious crisis -- 42 percent of kids say they have been bullied on the internet, 35 percent of kids say they have been threatened."

Cyberbullying has increasingly been in the public eye as high-profile cases surface in the media and the courts.

In March, nine Massachusetts teenagers were charged with involvement in a months-long campaign of bullying that prosecutors say led to the suicide of a 15-year-old girl.

McGraw said children often do not talk to their parents about the issue, because they feel ashamed and embarrassed about it.

"We have to give educators, administrators and parents the tools that they need to prevent this and to intervene once it happens," said McGraw. "I really hope we add language to address cyberbullying to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, because we can raise awareness and give teachers the tools they need to tackle this problem."