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Almost every day brings another technology that connects us to the Internet and to each other faster and easier than ever before," said Maryland Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler.  "As a member of the law enforcement community, we are focused on public safety and making sure that kids and their parents have the tools they need to be safe on the Internet."   “Wireless technology is an invaluable tool for millions of Americans to stay connected to friends and family,” said Steve Largent, President of The Wireless Foundation and President and CEO of CTIA-The Wireless Association.  “As more and more of our nation’s youth are using wireless devices, it’s important to make the mobile environment as safe as possible.  I’m pleased that the wireless industry has voluntarily provided parents with the tools and information needed to encourage responsible and safe use of cell phones.”

The full extent of sexting has not been quantified, but a survey by a teenage girls' magazine found 40 per cent of respondents had been asked to send sexual images of themselves.

Police say sexting rates are already high, while Kids Help Line says nearly half their bullying-related calls can be attributed to cyber-bullying.

etective Sergeant Campbell Davis, of the Victoria Police internet child exploitation team, said girls were especially targeted, and the third-generation of mobile phone technology, or 3G, which can send large image files straight to the internet, was exacerbating the problem. "It is a very powerful technology and we need to teach our children how quickly images can be forwarded," he said.

The annual Mobile Life report, commissioned by the Carphone Warehouse and the London School of Economics, says that 11 per cent of children aged 11 to 18 have had sexually explicit conversations online, with 28 per cent admitting they have accessed adult websites.

Many often pretend to be doing homework when in fact they surfing the internet, with 49 per cent saying that they lie to their parents about what they are doing online.

The reports, compiled from a survey of 6,000 people, also analysed the difference between American and British teenagers, with children in the UK emerging as much more sophisticated. For instance, 53 per cent of British youngsters have communicated by webcam, something that just 18 per cent of their American cousins have done.

A survey of more than 200 Kansas State University students — mostly freshmen — indicates 54 percent of them believe cyberbullying is a "minor problem" or a "common problem" among students at the university.

The survey used the cyberbullying definition provided in Kansas' anti-bullying law, which took effect in January 2008 and was revised in July to include cyberbullying. The law requires schools to develop anti-bullying policies, plans and preventative measures. Cyberbullying is the use of any electronic communication device, such as e-mail, instant messaging, text messages, blogs, mobile phones, pages, online games or Web sites, to create an intimidating, threatening or abusive environment.

Chances are they're banned - to stop students texting their friends all the time, or worse still, cyber-bullying. But are schools missing a trick? Most teenagers now carry a mini-computer in their pockets, capable of taking photos, videos, podcasts and even surfing the web. Could their mobiles actually be used to enhance their education? Alex and Charlotte from Westhoughton High School in Bolton wanted to investigate this issue. They interviewed one boy who'd experienced cyber-bullying - getting abusive and threatening text messages on his mobile phone.

PARENTS have been urged to confiscate their children's mobile phones at night and monitor computer use after two year 9 students from the prestigious Sydney girls' school Ascham were forced to leave the school because of cyber-bullying.