A UNIVERSITY theatre group has taught a group of children how to use the internet safely as part of a drive to tackle cyber bullying.

A group of Year 7 and 8 pupils from Thirsk School and Sixth Form College worked in small groups to interpret the themes of the performance by a York St John University theatre group, combined with their own experiences, to form conclusions.

The event followed a recent survey by Intel Security 3,000 people, which found 11 per cent of eight to 16-year-olds reported they had been the victims of cyber bullying.

It also found almost half of youngsters had witnessed cruel behaviour on social platforms, but a third did not report it.

The school has adopted a high-profile anti-bullying policy and holds a series of events annually to highlight issues.

A school spokeswoman said pupils did not always have the wisdom, the experience or the maturity to know the impact of their online activities.

She added: "The performance, organised by Connecting Youth Culture, the NSPCC and North Yorkshire Police, was exciting and lively, filled with “hashtag” references and serious messages about using the internet safely.

"As well as coming away better informed about how to use the internet safely they also had a lot of fun."