A Baillieu government move to use Brodie's law to jail students or parents involved in cyber bullying for up to 10 years is welcome news.

Brodie's law amended the Crimes Act to allow 10-year jail terms for people convicted of workplace bullying

State education minister Martin Dixon and teaching profession minister Peter Hall have also directed their staff to look at all legal avenues for cyber bullying victims. It's a clear sign the cowardly practice of cyber bullying is starting to get the attention it deserves.

Some people will argue a 10-year jail term is too harsh. The parents of a young cyber bullying victim who stepped in front of a moving train a few weeks ago would regard a 10-year sentence for the people who made their child take such tragic action as too lenient. Perhaps giving magistrates the power to hand out penalties as a reflection of the damage done to an individual would be the fairest way.

While the government deserves praise for looking at harsh penalties for those who use social media to destroy the reputations of others, it must also look at those who provide the vehicle for this cyber assault.

Facebook refuses to answer Bendigo Advertiser questions about why it allows users to vilify a 14-year-old girl about her sexual habits or in other cases spread rumours about the sexual prowess of young citizens.

Social media sites must be made accountable before any battle against cyber bullying can succeed.

The government must continue to support school programs to educate students about the dangers of cyber bullying, sexting and other damaging social media trends.

While sadly these trends continue to grow in popularity despite such education, if there's a possibility some will heed the advice then such programs are vital. – ROD CASE, editor