There is a website called ask where everyone can be anonyomous in their questions, but you can see who you are asking questions to. Not surprisingly this is a great opportunity for kids to ask cruel questions to people they know. Like why are you so fat Simon? Why are your lips so big Andrew? Or why have you got no friends Saleem? The standard playground stuff that as we grow older develops into good humoured banter.

A girl had been invited on to describe how she was told anonymously that she wore too much make up amongst other things. She had left the site as a result.

A boy had been told his dead brother must have experienced a lot of pain before he died. It turned out that it was one of his best friends. He’s still on the site but is no longer friends with the ‘abuser’.

If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything, argued an expert invited to comment on Radio 4 this morning.

Increasingly though the message is if you can’t say something nice, then you can’t say anything unless you want to be arrested. Currently this only applies online. But no doubt calling people names and being nasty will soon become a crime in real life.  Oh hang on, it already has. On the football terraces.