LONDON (Reuters) - Sly and manipulative, bullies who once plagued their victims in the school playground are now causing grief with abusive text messages and vitriolic Web sites.

Cyber-bullying has become so common in this country it is estimated one in four youngsters is being targeted via the Internet or mobile phones.

"It's a new twist on the old pattern of bullying," said John Carr of the children's charity NCH, which has studied the "silent" intimidation.

Carr said the most common form of cyber-bullying--text messages to mobile phones--meant victims can never escape the harassment.

"In the past, if bullies picked on you at school or on the way home, at least when you got to your bedroom there was some respite," Carr told Reuters.

With most youngsters now carrying mobile phones, the bleep of a text alert heralds for some children not a chatty message from a friend but the prospect of a frightening threat.

"We're gonna kill you" and "Look out! we're going to burn your house down," are just two examples Carr has come across.

Liz Carnell, director of anti-bullying charity Bullying Online--www.bullying.co.uk--said there have also been cases of "hate Web Sites" set up against pupils and sometimes teachers.

"We have succeeded in getting a couple of these Web sites shut down. But it is worrying that they are so easy to set up in the first place," she told Reuters.

FIGHTING BACK

Teachers are aware of the problem but are often unable to stamp it out.

The silent nature of cyber-bullying gives few visible signs that someone is being victimized.

"Most schools have a policy of not allowing mobile phones to be switched on during lessons and some have even banned phones from school grounds," said a spokeswoman for the National Union of Teachers.

"But teachers are powerless to fight bullying of whatever type outside of the school."

Carr said a third of cyber-victims don't tell anyone what is happening and of those that do tell, it is often a school friend rather than parents or the police.

His advice is not to suffer in silence.

"Tell the mobile phone companies, try and get your number changed and tell the police," he said.

Carnell warned that youngsters should be wary about giving out their email address or mobile phone number.

"But sadly a lot of phone bullying is when friends fall out," she said, adding that teenage girls were the most common instigators and recipients of text bullying.

Reference Source 89