I hate you! You are so ugly! You are a geek!

These nasty messages are not just boucing around school hallways these days, they're bouncing around on the Internet.  And if you think your child has never seen cyberbullying, think again.

"People just get online and just speak mean to you," said one teenager we talked to. "I've witnessed it happen online to some people."

Websites like Xanga, Live Journal, and AOL are providing kids with a brand new forum to express themselves. Most of the websites are free and offer almost limitless access. Most cell phones even include technology to send and receive text messages. 

"You just pretty much tell peple about yourself," says 17-year old Ryan Parker, "and it's kind of like an online information thing about yourself."

But sometimes that expression goes beyond the web.  Moline High School police liaison says cyberbullying is something she's seeing more and more of, and it's making kids meaner.

"It allows the other party to be braver than they may be in person," says Detective Marcy O'Brien of the Moline PD, "and to say things they may not, and to do things in writing they they may not do in person, in order to intimidate and scare (other people)."

"People that just don't like me will get on and just say 'You're gay!' and 'We're gonna beat you up!'," says 15-year old Charles Wren. 

Wren is a freshman at Moline High School and is your average teenager.  He enjoys instant messaging and keeps an online journal but recent attacks have forced him to log off, in fear.

"Some people will just have "xanga's" just toward other people," he says. "One of my friends, somebody doesn't like her so they just made up a "xanga" devoted to hating her."

Cyberbullying is not only hitting the computer labs in Moline. Experts say this is a nationwide trend because more and more kids have access to the Internet.

"The Internet is seductive to kids," says psychologist Dr. Dick Whittlesey. "The generations that are growing up now are very adept at using the Internet and it's a source of entertainment, but it's become a source of bullying and some very cruel behavior."

In some cases, the consequences go much further than just hurt feelings.  A 13-year old Virigina boy shot himself in the head to shut down the cyber attackes from online bullies. 

In another story, Jeffrey Weise, a 16-year old cyberbully went on a shooting rampage at his Minnesota high school, killing nine people and then himself.  Police later found online journals detailing his hatred for teachers and for school.

"They get pretty mean," says Dr. Whittlesey. "They write about the person's looks, their actions, how they talk, who they hang out with. They get pretty graphic about how they describe people and their dislike for them."

Words can hurt and sometimes create larger problems. Even though it's just typing on a computer, and not a confrontation on the school yard, psychologists say the impact of cyberbullying can be equally damaging.

"It causes the same pain and hurt," says  Dr. Whittlesey, "and it's really a blow to someone's self esteem to have even things that are rumors, things that aren't true but are widely spread."

Casey Stichter and Ann O'Klock are local therapists who have been helping parents and kids learn how to deal with bullying.  They say cyberbullying is a growing problem and, for some teens, is more severe than traditional bullying.

"I think that it has a lot of effect because, at that age in their life, they're spending a lot of time trying to figure out who they are as a person," says therapist Casey Sticher, "and, developmentally, who they're trying to align with as friends and I think it makes them both more at risk."

"They talk about their looks or something or their sexuality or what they're wearing on a long term basis," says O'Klock. "Those kids of things can really impact on a child's entire mental health and the way they feel about themselves."

Teens who have experienced online harrassment first-hand feel there's no easy way to stop cyberbullies from getting their messages out.

"When you fight back, it makes it worse," says Wren, "but if you don't then it gets the person even more mad because you don't do anything about it."

Limiting internet usage and putting blocks on computers are options for keeping threats from popping up but that doesn't always mean the cyberbullies will log off. There are steps both kids and parents can take to stop the bullying.

Experts say anyone posting messages online should never write something they don't want others to read. If you are being harrassed, change your screen name. It will make it harder for the messages to get across. You should also print messages that are especially mean or threatening and, if the bullying goes too far, call the police.

Still, one of the best pieces of advice is to talk about the issue early and often.

"No matter what issues they're dealing with their kids, communicate, communicate, communicate," says Casey Stichter.  "Open up those lines of communication, ask them questions, before it becomes a huge problem." 

Click here for more on cyberbullying from CBS News.