A CULTURE of bullying and violence seems to be on the increase among children.

Young males are the section of society most likely to become the victims of a violent attack.

And now increasing numbers of girls are becoming involved in the mental and physical bullying of their schoolmates.

Now a national charity, Bullying Online, has issued advice to parents on how to spot if their children are the victims of bullies.

A spokesman said: 'Finding out that your child is being bullied is a stressful and distressing experience. It's natural for a parent to feel anger, confusion and guilt.

'Some children are good at hiding their feelings and the first you may know of the problem is when your child suddenly doesn't want to go to school.'

The charity says: 'The worst thing to do is to over-react and storm into school demanding action. Bullying Online is regularly contacted by parents who have lost their temper and ended up banned from the premises or in trouble with the police.

'If you didn't know your child was being bullied then the school may not have realised it either.'

If you think your young child is being bullied but you're not sure, then ask a few simple questions:

What did they do at school today?

Did they do anything they liked?

Who did they play with?

What sort of games did they play?

Did they enjoy them?

Are they looking forward to going to school tomorrow?

For an older child you can ask:

What did they do at lunch-time?

Is there anyone they'd like to invite home?

Is there any lesson at school they don't like?

Is there anyone at school they don't like and why?

Are they looking forward to going to school tomorrow?

Parents are advised to see the class teacher and explain their worries in a friendly way. Ask how your child is getting on with others in class and raise any issues of conflict with other children.

Ask if the teacher has noticed that your child seems unhappy or is being excluded from games in the playground.

Bullying Online says secondary schools may not be aware that there are some areas of the school pupils feel are unsafe.

By telling the head of year where the bullying is happening, super-vision can be increased so that the bullies are caught red-handed.

It can be helpful to try to increase your child's circle of friends by inviting a number of children home regularly.

If bullying continues, the charity says parents should:

Keep a diary - or get your child to keep a diary - of what is happening;

Write a note to the class teacher or head of year, explaining that the problem is still unresolved;

Ask for your letter to be put on to your child's school file, together with a note of action taken;

Suggest that contact between the bully and your child is monitored and limited.