AN increase in cyber bullying among Wangaratta’s younger generations has seen the city’s premier youth support centre tackle the issue head-on.

North East Support and Action for Youth (NESAY) has instituted a project worker in cyber safety, in a bid to raise young people, parents and schools’ awareness of the new trend where bullying has moved out of the playground and into cyberspace.

As part of the campaign, NESAY and its School Focused Youth Service has been presenting a play dealing with the issue to schools in Wangaratta and the wider North East region.

Viewed by year seven to 10 students at Cathedral College and Wangaratta High School earlier this week, ‘Techno Bully’ explored a young girl’s dilemma in dealing with this new type of bullying via text messages, email and the internet.

General services manager at NESAY, Leah Waring, said over the past year or so, it was a problem more local children had to deal with.