The pain’s real

Bullies are taking their destructive behaviour out of the real world and into a virtual one. Child experts explain why emotional pain is just as damaging as physical harm, if not worse.

STICKS and stones may break some bones, but words can really kill you – the adulteration of that rhyme proves true for victims of cyberbullying who commit suicide. While adults grapple with understanding the impact of social media and the Internet, dismissing hurtful posts and taunts as harmless words, young victims struggle to cope.