SPECIAL REPORT DAY 1: 'Phoebe … I’m sorry ... for the unkind words I said ...'

While the internet is being blamed for the surge in teenage bullying, name-calling and cold-shouldering have always been used as weapons against vulnerable teenagers.

Earlier this year, the father of tragic teenager Phoebe Prince said bullying was now an epidemic, causing suicide, and leading kids to indulge in drink and drugs. He spoke at the launch of the National Anti-Bullying Coalition’s Safe Schools programme.

Phoebe moved from Co Clare to the US with her family in 2009. A year later, on Jan 14, the 15-year-old hanged herself at home, following a campaign of bullying by schoolmates. The five teenagers accused of what was described in court as a “three-month campaign of bullying” were sentenced last year. Three of them received probation and community service sentences, while two others got probation.