Pull the plug on bullies Rick Hart is doing his bit to tackle bullying in our schools. Picture: Supplied Source: PerthNow WA businessman Rick Hart says kids need to be empowered to overcome bullying, which has escalated from "the lunch-time scrap behind the shed" in his school days. He says students today face a covert style of bullying that is often difficult to avoid because of the prevalence of technology. He is ambassador for a new cyber-safety program, based on research by Edith Cowan University and being offered to WA schools, that teaches children how to cope with bullying. "The technology age just takes it to another level where it's so easy to confront people or attack people on Facebook or Twitter," Mr Hart said. It becomes more of an anonymous threat. Often kids are deeply into something before they realise there is danger there. Sometimes they are too far involved and too scared to talk to someone in authority about it and that's where the issue of depression and other concerns arise. Space Safe Kidz director Nina Hobson said children were increasingly obsessed with being "Facebook famous." She said her program, already running in six schools, was backed by results from ECU's Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study. Schools are invited to enter a Golden Ticket competition, to rename the project and design its logo. "Research shows youth anxiety is on the increase and there is an increase in youth suicide especially (among young) males," Ms Hobson said. What makes our project different is we really want to do what the kids come up with. Often they have very different views and needs to us and that is why we say it is for them, by them. I have a boy of 13 who has asked me questions about anxiety and told me that his friend has stress all things that five years ago would not have been on a the lips of a 13-year-old. Facebook can create a vicious circle. If you don't get 100 likes on a photo, you are ugly. Now you have to be Facebook famous or you don't fit in. All these things contribute to the way we feel about ourselves and how we deal with what sometimes seems like rejection from the peers we so desperately want approval from. This can result in anxiety and depression.