YOUNG victims of cyber-bullying - the use of email, messaging or social network sites to harm, embarrass or intimidate - could benefit from a new initiative to tackle the 21st century problem.

Police and community safety leaders in West Somerset have secured funding to raise awareness of the issue and offer victims a helping hand.

Wristbands bearing the message 'Say No To Cyber bullying' are to be handed out to 13,14, and 15-year-olds at the West Somerset Community College in Minehead.

The wristbands will also include details of an information and guidance website, http://www.thinkuknow">www.thinkuknow. co.uk, set up by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP).

In addition, police and community support officers will be going in to the college to deliver nationally accredited training on ways of avoiding cyber-bullying and how to report it.

Details of the initiative were outlined to West Somerset Council's scrutiny committee on Monday.

Councillors were told by West Somerset's community safety officer Peter Hughes that it had become apparent that cyber-bullying was "quite an issue".

"It is the sending of text messages or use of Facebook or other social networking sites in an abusive manner," he said.

"It is quite startling how profound the effect can be on victims.

"This is a 21st century problem and we are not saying it is worse at the college than anywhere else.

"But it is a community safety issue and we have taken the decision to be proactive."

Mr Hughes said the aim of the initiative was to raise awareness but also, hopefully, to deter anyone tempted to perpetrate cyber-bullying.

Inspector Lisa Simpson, who heads West Somerset's police team, said officers had been invited to attend a parents' evening at the college this week to raise the issue.

"A lot of this goes on without the knowledge of parents and they may not understand what their children are suffering," she said.

Council leader Cllr Tim Taylor said that he was only too well aware of the problem in his capacity as a child protection governor of a major school in Somerset.

"It can be very serious, an horrendous problem," he said.

"It can be one individual against another individual or people ganging up against one person, sending nasty emails or sometimes using photos that are spread around."

Cllr Taylor said with some universities and employers checking out social networking sites like Facebook for references to prospective students or employees, the implications for young people could be significant.

West Somerset Community College deputy principal Hannah Enticott said the college took e-safety extremely seriously.

"We work with a wide range of agencies including the police, CEOP and the South West Grid for Learning to ensure that the content and standard of education we provide to students in relation to keeping themselves safe online is the highest possible," she said.

"E-safety is a standard feature of our ICT curriculum and this is further reinforced by mentoring sessions, assemblies and external agency presentations to students about the risks and benefits of online activities.

Ms Enticott said the college was currently pursuing the 360 Safe Mark, which would provide evidence of the quality, detail and range of its e-safety practice.

"Working with parents, through regular parents' workshops on e-safety and using the internet is also crucial to ensuring that students are safe beyond the college gates.

"Increasing the knowledge and understanding of students about the permanence, risks and benefits of an online presence and how this can be used to greatest effect and least harm is a central aspect of our work.

"By improving students' knowledge and understanding we are equipping them to be positive, proactive members of our 21st century society which is increasingly becoming media and digitally based."