A British charity studying children says social networking sites have caused almost one in 5 kids to suffer a negative experience including cyber stalking, bullying and receiving unwanted sexual messages last year.
Bullying and trolling were the most common bad experiences children, most of them under 13, suffered while using Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, said the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC).
Growing concern over what kids and youths are being exposed to on the internet was cited by the charity as the main trigger behind the survey.
“It’s unbearable to think any young person should feel there is no other option but to end their life because of bullying on social networking sites”, said Claire Lilley, NSPCC safer technology expert.
Earlier, a young girl had committed suicide in Britain after receiving bullying message on the net.
Lilley said their research revealed a “worrying landscape”, adding that Å“the charity’s forthcoming report would focus on the issues of “trolling” and cyber-bullying and the impact they have on young children.
“This is something that must be tackled before it gets out of hand,” she was quoted as saying.
“We must ensure young people have the confidence to speak out against this abuse, so that they don’t feel isolated and without anywhere to turn.”
Last week, Prime Minister David Cameron urged Britons to bar websites, which promote online abuse.
“There’s something all of us can do as parents and as users of the Internet and that is not to use some of these vile sites. Boycott them, don’t go there, don’t join them – we need to do that as well. I’m very keen we look at all the action we can take to try and stop future tragedies like this,” Cameron had said.
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Republished from: Press TV