The rise in popularity of social networking sites has led to an increase in cyberbullying, it has been claimed.

Emma-Jane Cross, chief executive of Beatbullying, said it is a fast-growing trend and could be more harmful than school yard taunts.

"These days we can all be contacted 24 hours a day via digital technology, so cyberbullying victims can suffer anytime and anyplace," she explained.

She noted that being targeted by bullies online can have devastating effects on children and lead to educational problems and self-destructive behaviour.

However, Ms Cross said the answer is not to ban technology, rather to get to the root of the problem.

A recent report published by Beatbullying revealed that 30 per cent of children between the ages of 11 and 16 have been bullied on the social networking site Bebo.

Furthermore, 44.6 per cent of the young people polled said they have witnessed bullying on the site.

Written by Fiona Mayers

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