Text message bullies harm children more

Cyber-bullying is more damaging to children than traditional playground bullying, researchers claim today.

Experts say it leaves children with "no place to hide" and criticise the Government for failing to address the growing problem. A children's charity is calling for an urgent study into the extent of cyber-bullying in Britain.

Dr Marilyn Campbell, who led the research, said: "With traditional bullying they can go home and escape, but with cyber bullying there is no getting away from it. Victims suffer worse consequences than those suffering at the hands of traditional bullies."

Attacks usually take the form of abusive text or chat-room messages, but Dr Campbell's research even found children set up special websites to bully others.

"Cyber-bullies are posting personal information about the victim on the internet while letting all their peers know the web address via email," said Dr Campbell, of the Queensland University of Technology. "There is a feeling everybody in the peer group knows what's going on, whereas in face-to-face bullying it has only a small audience. There is also no way to retaliate."

John Carr of children's charity NCH backed the findings but called for the Government to do more to address the problem.

"This confirms our worst fears about online bullying," he said.

"For many children who are suffering, the text messages are really the last straw and it affects them very badly.

"They feel there is just no escape from it but they are so proud of having a mobile phone in the first place they don't want to give it up.

"The problem is that the children see their phone as their prized possession and are incredibly scared that if they own up to being bullied through it, it will be taken away. The same is true of internet access."

The NCH conducted a national study two years ago and found 30 per cent of children had suffered from cyber bullying, and 19 per cent of all schoolchildren have had bullying text messages.

But experts claim the huge rise in the number of children with mobile phones means these figures may have rocketed.

Mr Carr said: "With traditional bullying you shut the bedroom door and it goes away. Now there is no escape.

"We have already had cases of British children committing suicide because of online bullying.

"We need a thorough study, and it has got to be the Government funding it.

" When we released our research, the Government was very good, writing to every headteacher telling them to be aware of the problem.

"But online bullying often happens outside of school."

The researchers studied an entire year of a primary school in Brisbane, Australia, giving more than 30 children a series of in-depth tests and interviews to establish their attitudes to cyber bullying.