The fact that one in three children say they have been the victims of cyber-bullying should come as a sharp wake-up call to adults who still view the world of social networking as an alien country accessible only by the under-18s.

Anyone who works with children - as I do - knows the majority have shifted their social lives online. Relationships are formed, brokered and sometimes broken through technologies like text, Facebook, Bebo and MySpace.

In the area of London I have responsibility for, we get our teens to do the teaching when it comes to online safety.

They devise lists of dos and don'ts to stay safe online and we have distributed thousands of mousemats written by our young people carrying the e-safety message.

Children know the risks of online safety. Parents have many demands on their time, but when your children inhabit an increasingly digital world, ignorance is not an option.

COUNCILLOR ANJANA PATEL

Portfolio holder for schools and children's services

Harrow Council