AS children return to school this week, concerns grow among many parents and young people about the threat of bullying in the playground and the classroom.

Local education authorities have set up systems designed to combat the bullies and help the victims.

But now modern technology has presented a new problem - bullying by text message. Jane Bullock examines the new threat to vulnerable pupils.

BULLYING is an age old problem, but thanks to the latest technology it could be on the increase in a disturbingly subtle form.

The Government is set to issue revised guidance on how to deal with the problem in response to the new menace of text message intimidation, which is thought to affect as many as one in four bullied secondary school childre

n.

The problem of abusive text messages being used to threaten and intimidate children has grown as increasing numbers of youngsters own mobile phones. And by its very nature, it is a particularly hard form of bullying to identify and deal with.

Statistics published earlier this year by children's charity NCH showed a quarter of bullied youngsters had been threatened via a mobile phone or computer, and 16 per cent had been bullied by text messages.

An estimated 400,000 children are thought to be bullied in the UK every year, and about 100,000 of them are believed to be text message victims.

One such victim was 11-year-old Becky Walker from Leeds, who endured text message bullying for more than six months.

The bullying, carried out by a girl Becky was at school with, stopped after she told teachers and her mother, Mandy.

Ms Walker told the police about the messages, and others which were left on the answerphone at home, including one in which a girl said she was "going to come in the night and kill you".

The police said they could take action if necessary, and Ms Walker rang one of the numbers the bully had used. It was answered by the girl's mother, who was surprised at what had been going on.

"The messages were menacing and threatening," said Ms Walker, "but we found out who they were from. It's been sorted out now because we've banned the girl who was doing it from our house, and I spoke to the police and the school."

In a bid to beat the problem, mobile phone operators should change victims' numbers free of charge if they can show they are being abused. And under the revised guidance, heads will be told the Government will back them if they suspend or exclude persistent text message bullies.

Of course, text message bullying is only one of many ways in which children intimidate each other.

Childline, the charity which runs a free helpline for children in trouble, says it gets more calls about bullying than any other subject.

The number of calls has risen dramatically since the charity was launched 15 years ago - from 753 calls in the first year to 20,269 last year.

It says 64 per cent of calls relate to name calling and teasing, 26 per cent are about physical abuse and 12 per cent say they have had verbal or written threats.

The remainder of the calls - which total more than 100 per cent because many children experience several different types of bullying - relate to extortion, isolation, sexual abuse or racism.

Nicola Schofield, manager of Bolton's Bully Free Zone, said she was unaware of any sustained text message bullying cases in the town.

But added: "Although I don't know of any significant cases in Bolton, we have come across children who have received the odd text message.

"Text bullying needs to be looked at in exactly the same way as other forms of bullying.

"If anyone is concerned about a message they've received, they should contact their phone company or tell someone trustworthy like a parent or come to us for help.

"It's always best to bring bullying into the open and never keep it hidden."

Tony Hill, head of the Deane School, said: "Our pupils do bring mobile phones into school and if I thought text bullying was a problem, I would treat in the same way as any other form of bullying."

A spokesman from the Department for Education and Skills said: "Text message bullying is a serious offence, as are other forms of bullying. However, it is much harder to tackle than, for example, someone being punched or kicked."