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British teens 'bullied by the net'
15/03/2006 14:20 - (SA)
London - One in 10 British teenagers have been a victim of "cyberbullying", where they receive threatening e-mails or have unpleasant rumours about them spread on the internet, a study said on Wednesday.
Computer giant MSN's survey of 500 teenagers found that half thought their parents were unaware that children could be bullied over the internet, while 13-year-olds were most likely to suffer from the problem.
John Carr, chairperson of Children's Charities' Coalition for Internet Safety, said: "We're hearing from an increasing number of teenagers who have needlessly suffered cyberbullying for days, weeks and even months in silence.
"The effects of this bullying can impact everything from morale through to school work and friendships as teenagers can end up isolated from or even afraid of the communications tools they use daily."
Natalie Mead, head of citizenship at MSN UK, said that the internet was the hub of teenagers' positive social communication with friends.
"So when it's threatened, the effect can be devastating," she said.
MSN urged teenagers to guard their identity online and said they should not be afraid to complain if they received offensive messages.
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