Government gets tough on cyberbullying

Schools and parents are being warned that they face firm action if they fail to tackle cyberbullying. Parents could be penalised with fines of up to £1000 if their children bully others via the internet or mobile phones.

The new guidelines, issued by the Schools Minister yesterday, will make parents responsible for dealing with children who are persistant bullies, facing parenting lessons and fines if they fail to do so. In addition, schools will have the right to discipline pupils who use school websites or equipment to bully others.

'No child should suffer the misery of bullying, online or offline, and we will support schools in tackling it in cyberspace with the same vigilance as in the playground,' said Minister Jim Knight.

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