Parents urged to step up action against online bullying

Parents need to take the lead in the battle against cyberbullying because the Government and internet companies are not doing enough, a leading researcher has claimed.

Dr Stephen Minton said there has been a mixed response to the problem from social media sites, with some making substantial improvements in relation to cyberbullying but others continuing to allow it and even affording relative anonymity to perpetrators.

In 2008, the lecturer in psychology of education at Trinity College, Dublin, was involved in a study with teenagers that found one in seven had been cyberbullied in the previous three months, while one in 11 had taken part in the behaviour.