Technology tests schools' safety net

New technologies constantly test school policies around cyber safety, a Whangarei principal says, following the posting of a video on to Facebook and YouTube which showed a student 14, being beaten up by classmates at Ruawai College near Dargaville.

Police are investigating two separate incidents of cyber bullying after videos of students fighting were posted on social media sites.

"It's a trend that's happening in schools and it's quite scary for us because we're very aware of the kinds of things that can occur," Whangarei Intermediate principal Hayley Read said.

The student was attacked in the school bathrooms while a group of other students looked on and filmed.

Two students, aged 15 and 16, have been thrown out of the college and face charges in the Youth Court. Two younger students have been referred to Police Youth Aid.

Principal Stephen Fordyce said the "criminal event" happened in September and had caused great distress. "The police were informed immediately [after] we became aware of the seriousness of what had occurred."

Yesterday afternoon, students from at least three Hamilton schools were filmed in fights at a park. The footage, taken on a digital camera phone, showed girls and boys brawling and was posted on YouTube.

Speaking yesterday, Ms Read stressed the importance of a safe school environment. "Kids have got lots of smartphones and so they can be a useful tool for learning. "But, we're very aware that we have to have even stricter policies in place."

The school was looking at ways students could use personal devices like smart phones for learning.

NetSafe executive director Martin Cocker said bullies used online videos to exert superiority. "The bullying is about exerting power over another person...It's a logical bullying system," he said.

Young people often failed to understand the repercussions of bullying, Mr Cocker said.

In one of New Zealand's worst cases of cyber bullying, 15-year-old Wanganui schoolgirl Robin de Jong was filmed being chased down and assaulted by another student last year.

Footage of her attacker punching and kicking her until she was unconscious was captured on another pupil's cellphone.