Cyber bullies 'fuel surge in childhood depression' Internet and texting mean bullying is "there all the time', say MPs Childline reports an 87 per cent increase in calls about online bullying MPs want schools to teach the pitfalls of phones, video games and websites Cyber bullying and "sexting" could be to blame for a surge in cases of anxiety in children, MPs warn. Some NHS trusts have reported a 25 per cent increase in the number of young people needing treatment for depression and self-harm in the past 12 months. MPs say the popularity of websites such as Facebook means bullying "follows children home." Always connected: A report by the health select committee highlights figures from the charity Childline showing that there had been an 87 per cent increase in the numbers of calls from children about online bullying They also warn that in some schools it is normal for boys to circulate sexual images of female classmates by text - known as sexting. This can be deeply upsetting for the young girls and lead to cruel remarks about their weight or breast size. MPs on the health select committee are urging the Government to launch an investigation into the extent of which the internet and text messages are harming children's health. In a report today they highlight figures from some NHS trusts including Cornwall where referrals to clinics have increased by between 20 and 25 per cent since last year. These are for conditions including depression, anxiety, self-harming, eating disorders and attempted suicide. Whilst the MPs cannot say for sure that the internet and texting is to blame, they have created an environment where bullying is "there all the time." Tory MP Sarah Wollaston, chair of the Health Select Committee, said: "What children face now is that the bullying follows them way beyond the walk home from school. For some young people it's clearly a new source of distress. Young women are finding they have shared an image in good faith but then it widely distributed online by young men in the classroom It's become normalised within some school environments. The report highlights figures from the charity Childline showing that there had been an 87 per cent increase in the numbers of calls from children about online bullying. And the manager of one clinic in Northamptonshire said two thirds of children admitted in the past five years had been bullied online or via text messages. One psychiatrist who gave evidence to the MPs, Dr Sebastian Kramer, from the Whittington Hospital in North London said: "You can be teased in the playground and it is gone with the wind, but if you have got your photograph on Facebook it is there forever. He added that he had treated some girls who had been bullied online or by text to a "state of despair." Mental health epidemic: Some NHS trusts have reported a 25 per cent increase in the number of young people needing treatment for depression and self-harm in the past 12 months The report also warns that more than half of boys and a fifth of girls spend two hours a night or more playing computer games. These can lead to loneliness and depression as they become progressively more withdrawn from family and friends. The MPs want schools to ensure that children are properly taught about the potential pitfalls of mobile phones, computer games and websites. These include Facebook and Ask.fm - whereby users post their pictures online and ask each other to answer highly personal questions. Overall the report warns that there are "serious" and "ingrained" problems in the NHS's care for children and teenagers with psychological problems. This includes a severe lack of beds - one young girl with anorexia lost ten per cent of her body weight waiting for one to become available.