Youngsters targeted by digital bullies. Many youngsters receive bullying text messages. More than one in four youngsters have been threatened via their computers or mobile phones, according to a survey. Children's charity NCH, which commissioned the research, now wants young people to be taught how to deal with 21st-century bullying techniques. And it wants parents and teachers to be given guidance on how to tackle the problem.

Bullied by
Text: 16% Web: 7% E-mail: 4%

Of the 856 people aged between 11 and 19 asked, 16% had received bullying or threatening text messages, 7% had been harassed in internet chat rooms and 4% by e-mail. NCH cited one 15-year-old boy who had given his mobile number to a friend in a football chatroom. After they fell out, he received text messages threatening to find out where he lived, beat him up and even kill him. Eventually his mobile provider allowed him to change his number, and the threats stopped. 'I'm going to kill you' The associate director of NCH's children technology unit, John Carr, told BBC News Online most text bullying was by schoolmates. Children may receive messages from playground bullies such as "When you get to school, I'm going to kill you.

NCH tips for victims.

*Be careful who you give your mobile or e-mail address to.
*Tell an adult you trust what is happening
*Change your number/e-mail address if there is a problem
*Write down times and dates you receive upsetting messages
*Report them to a trusted adult or the police

He called on schools to upgrade and amend existing bullying policies to ensure they covered the new digital tactics. Many schools have banned mobiles from their premises, because of problems such as bullying and theft - but Mr Carr said this was not enough.

"Teachers should make it clear that harassing people through text message or the internet, even if it's outside school hours or outside the gates, is still a serious matter that will be dealt with. " Liz Carnell, director of Bullying Online, agreed that parents and teachers should do more to address the problem. She said her charity had started receiving complaints about text bullying shortly after Christmas 2000, when many teenagers received mobiles as presents. 'Extremely distressing' Eventually it received so many complaints of "death threats and hate messages" that it set up a web page dedicated solely to mobile bullying.

Ms Carnell said most of the complaints involved friends who had fallen out, and turned on their victim with text messages. "It's the modern version of passing notes in class. It's extremely distressing and some children have become suicidal over it.

NCH safe surfing tips

Never give out personal information like your home address.
Do not post a picture of yourself
Never meet a key-pal in the real world without a trusted adult.
Report any upsetting messages.
Leave a chat room the moment anything worries you.

As for the children being bullied, both Mr Carr and Ms Carnell said they should alert a "trusted adult" as soon as possible. Of those who told NCH they had been bullied, a third had told no one, while almost half of those who did speak out told only their friends. Mr Carr said after telling a trusted adult, children should make a note of the time and date of each message received. They should alert their mobile or internet account provider, who may change their e-mail address or phone number for free. If the messages do not stop, both experts said, victims should not be afraid to go to the police. "This is a very serious matter. Messages like this can be very frightening, and are serious harassment," said Mr Carr.