Social media has done wonders for connecting people across the globe, but it’s also created a concerning issue ? cyber bullying.

Children’s eSafety Commissioner Alastair MacGibbon has released a report on the investigations conducted by his office which shows a rise in the number of young people creating fake social media accounts to send malicious messages to other people.

Young online bullies are stealing the identity of their victims and setting up accounts on sites like Facebook or Instagram to then bully other children.

Mr MacGibbon says these incidents are a double violation which damages the reputation of the child who’s had their identity stolen but also harms the other children involved.

He spoke with Adam Shand.