Speaking to students at a Sydney high school at the launch of the national BackMeUp campaign today, bullying expert Professor Donna Cross likened online bullying to "bullying on steroids" because the behaviour could occur 24 hours a day.
The campaign, an initiative of The Australian Human Rights Commission, is aimed at targeting online bullying in Australia.
"Ten per cent of children in Australia (have been) bullied at least once online and 25 per cent of (those) young people report that they are being cyber-bullied every few weeks," Dr Cross told students at Sydney Secondary College's Leichhardt campus.
BackMeUp ambassadors Ruby Rose and Australia's Got Talent contestant Cody Bell addressed an assembly of teenagers and told personal stories of how to overcome problems associated with bullying such as depression and low self-esteem.
Young people are less likely to to tell an adult that they are being bullied because adults will often take their technology away.
Ms Rose said technology alone was not the culprit, although it could be a very effective tool for bullying.
"Technology in the wrong hands can be so out of control," she said.
The campaign encourages young people to sign up online and take positive action to stop cyber bullying.
The central focus of BackMeUp is a video competition through facebook where teenagers are encouraged to make a video about how they could help someone who is being cyberbullied.
The campaign is supported by a wide range of partners including Kids Helpline, UNICEF, Headspace, Inspire Foundation, Alannah and Madeleine Foundation, ACMA, Facebook Australia, Bullying. No Way! Scouts Australia, Girl Guides Australia, Foundations for Young Australians, Lawstuff, YHA, NIDA and Google.
Ten winners and their parents/guardians will receive an all-expenses paid trip to Sydney to spend a week at NIDA creating a professional short film. Students can also win JB HiFi vouchers weekly.
More information on the BackMeUp Campaign can be found at these links:
facebook.com/2012backmeup and somethingincommon.gov.au/backmeup
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