June 7, 2005
Bullies 'taking phone pictures'
One in five young people has been bullied by mobile phone or via the internet, a study suggests, reports the BBC.
"The survey by the NCH children's charity found 14% of 11 to 19-year-olds had been threatened or harassed using text messages.
Bullies had used images taken with mobile phone cameras to intimidate or embarrass one in 10 young people.
This included singling out overweight or spotty youngsters and recording and sharing acts of playground violence.
The findings follow reports of so-called "happy slapping" attacks - where assaults on children and adults are recorded on mobile phones and sent via video messaging.
"This new research reveals the massive scale of mobile bullying and shows how camera phones are being used by bullies to frighten and intimidate their victims", John Carr, the NCH's new technology adviser, said.
NCH is launching an interactive website -
www.stoptextbully.com - to give advice and support.
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