Government launches new crackdown on cyberbullying

A renewed attempt to crackdown on cyber bullying has been launched by the Government, which could see parents of bullies fined up to £1,000.

An online campaign, 'Laugh at it and you're part of it' will run on social networking forums MySpace and Bebo, as well as MSN instant messaging and Yahoo, for six weeks from today.

Children using these services to contact friends or update webpages will be faced with pop-up adverts showing examples of text messages and cyberspace abuse and bullying.

A short film produced with Childnet International will also be available for teachers to screen in classrooms. The film covers practical tips on preventing cyber bullying, including not responding to malicious texts or emails and saving received messages for evidence.

Parents of bullies are reminded by the Government that if they fail to do their part in stopping this behaviour they could face parenting orders and fines of up to £1,000.

The move follows growing concern over the seemingly unstoppable rise in cyber bullying. The results of a recent study by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) showed that up to 34 per cent of 12-to 15-year-olds had experienced some form of cyber bullying.

There is also growing concern from teaching unions that school staff are also increasingly falling victim to bullies who send abusive text messages or emails and post offensive clips on the internet.

Schools secretary Ed Balls said: "We now have an advanced approach to cyber bullying, thanks in no small part to the co-operation with the industry, teaching unions and charities. This guidance gives teachers and parents all the knowledge they need to tackle the problem effectively in schools."