It's very upsetting to get abusive emails, instant messages and to have nasty websites set up to invite people to post offensive remarks about you.

There are ways that people who send emails can be tracked by internet service providers and the police. All emails carry information which shows the path the email has taken to get to your computer.

Internet service providers have contact email addresses for complaints about email and this will normally be abuse@hotmail.com , abuse@btinternet.com or whichever system the sender is using. Don't reply to the email or delete it, get your parents to forward the whole thing to the sender's ISP.

What to do if someone sets up a nasty web page about you
If you are a pupil named on an abusive message board or website then try to contact the website host to try to get it closed down.

Even if the people posting this abuse do so using a false name, they can still be traced because the firm which hosts the website will keep logs which detail where uploads have been made from. You and your parents can't access this information but the police can.

If you're getting rude comments by instant messenger print them out and give them to your parents. They could contact the police if the messages are threatening or if there are so many of them that they could be considered to be harassment. Change your IM details and only give them to genuine friends.