Text bullying becoming more common

A growing number of U.S. children say they have been picked on via text messaging, including through rumors or been threatened, a study said.

Of more than 1,500 middle school and high school students surveyed in 2008, 24 percent said they had ever been "harassed" by texting.

That was up from 14 percent in a survey of the same students the year before, according to findings published in Pediatrics this week.

"Harassment" meant that peers had spread rumors about them, made "rude or mean comments," or threatened them. Outright bullying rose to 8 percent of students surveyed from just over 6 percent the year before.

The study included 1,588 10- to 15-year-olds who were surveyed online for the first time in 2006. The survey was repeated in 2007 and 2008, with about three-quarters of the original group taking part in all three.

-- Reuters