Boston Police Department probes Facebook smears

BOSTON (FOX 25 / MyFoxBoston.com) - Boston police and Charlestown High School officials are cracking down on cyberbullies as a sexually charged Facebook scandal unfolds at the school.

The Boston Herald reports that teenage girls became victims of “nasty” online harassment.

Several female Charlestown students have been targeted on Facebook, prompting investigations by Boston police and school officials.

>> LEARN MORE ABOUT BOSTON'S ANTI-BULLYING CAMPAIGN

School police officers sent a memo yesterday alerting teachers that social networking sites have become a “significant problem” in recent days, “with numerous sites being put up to embarrass and disparage young people in the city.” None of the incidents have resulted in any criminal charges, the Herald reports.

In Weymouth, two 15-year-old high school students are facing criminal harassment charges after posting a homemade video targeting another student on social networking sites, according to the Patriot Ledger .

The Weymouth and Charlestown incidents come after nine South Hadley High School students were criminally charged with offenses connected to the suicide death of student Phoebe Prince earlier this year. Authorities say the 15-year-old girl committed suicide after three months of relentless taunting.