PARENTS are increasingly taking to social networking sites to criticise their children's teachers, according to a new survey.

A poll of some 1,500 teachers across the UK found 44 per cent had had insulting comments made about them by parents on websites such as Facebook and Twitter.

Of those who had been abused, 11 per cent said allegations of inappropriate behaviour had been made against them, but only 30 per cent reported such incidents because they they felt nothing would be done.

Nearly 70 per cent said they had been the subject of online comments from pupils and a quarter said videos or pictures had been posted without their consent.

The NASUWT teaching union, which conducted the research, warned of the growing problem of abuse of technology in the education service, which they said was providing a vehicle for "false and malicious allegations".

Speaking at the annual conference of NASUWT Scotland, in Edinburgh, Chris Keates, the union's general secretary, said the number of staff being abused was "deeply disturbing".

She said: "Teachers' performance, appearance, sexuality and their families are all now apparently considered fair game with many of the comments too obscene to repeat.

"Teachers are having their health and wellbeing damaged and their confidence to continue to teach sapped by this abuse.

"Some teachers report that they know there are abusive comments about them online, but they dare not look for fear they will never be able to walk into the classroom again."

Mrs Keates said that, although pupils were still the main source of abuse, there was growing evidence parents were now using social networking sites.

She added: "Unfortunately, the vast majority of teachers who are victims of this abuse do not report the incidents because they believe nothing will be done.

"When we reach a point where a child thinks it is acceptable to ask others to respond to a post on Facebook which says 'Who thinks Miss should die?' it is clear that serious and urgent action needs to be taken to end this cyberbullying."

However, Eileen Prior, executive director of the Scottish Parent Teacher Council, said abusive online comments could come from teachers as well as parents and pupils.

She said: "There is growing recognition that online abuse, whoever is doing it, is unacceptable. It affects every walk of life and every profession, parents and young people.

"As a parents' organisation we regularly answer queries on this topic and support our members to take abusive comments from young people, parents and teachers very seriously. We know that the regulatory body for the profession urges teachers to exercise extreme caution in using social media and we advise the same to parents."

The NASUWT conference also heard calls for employers and headteachers to put in place measures to tackle excessive classroom workload, which surveys have shown is taking its toll on teachers' health.