Facebook ban for school bullies

PUPILS caught bullying classmates could have their Facebook pages shut down, the Education Ministry has announced.

The social networking group has agreed to close the accounts of young people thought to be using them to harass other students online.

"The solution we have put in place is simple. We will flag up systematically any pupil caught using the network for bullying and Facebook will close their account," said Education Minister Luc Chatel.

Furthermore, the families of the victims of severe bullying via the site could be given help to bring civil court cases.

A guide to tackling bullying in school, aimed at parents and children, will be published and made available online just before the new school year in September.

Teachers will also be given a guide explaining the procedures for tackling bullying cases and a special helpline number will be put in places for victims.

A study of 12,326 French school children in 2010 by Unicef found that 12% said they were regular victims of bullying, both physical and verbal.

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