Australian state bans YouTube after attack on girl is posted

The Victorian State government in Australia has banned YouTube in all schools after an assault on a 17-year-old girl was posted on the popular site, reports the Associated Press

The effort to thwart cyber-bullying has resulted in banning the site from all schools in Victoria, Australia's most populous state, a minister said Thursday. This came after students posted a video last year of a gang of male school students assaulting the girl on the outskirts of Melbourne.

Although schools already filter websites and YouTube had been blocked, the recent ban came as more of a symbolic gesture of zero tolerance of cyber-bullying.

The state government "has never tolerated bullying in schools and this zero tolerance approach extends to the online world," said Education Services Minister Jacinta Allan.

"All students have the right to learn in a safe and supportive learning environment - this includes making students' experience of the virtual world of learning as safe and productive as possible." The state government "has never tolerated bullying in schools and this zero tolerance approach extends to the online world," Allan said.