(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-01-24 10:31

"We do worry about kids confusing what they do and see on the computer with reality," he said. "Kids get so swept up into these virtual communities that they may lose perspective."

Bridgend lawmaker Madeline Moon is setting up a meeting Friday to see if school administrators, mental health professionals and other local activists can come up with a plan to combat the suicides.

She said she has been contacted by counterparts in Northern Ireland and New Zealand who reported similar waves of suicides among young people.

"They were eventually able to calm things down and that's what we need to do," she said.

Church officials are also trying to encourage young people to speak out if they are troubled, said Robin French, an administrator at the nearby Nolton parish church.

He said young people spend all their free time communicating with a tight circle of close friends via instant message, e-mail and mobile phones and have few face-to-face conversations. When something goes wrong in their inner circle, they feel helpless and don't know where to turn, he said.

"Nobody really knows what to do," he said. "Society is disconnected. We're used to suicides in our village. People do the business from a big tree near the chips shop or jump off the train. It seems everybody knows a family that's been affected."

He said illegal drugs have become so common that they can be obtained simply by calling a taxi service whose drivers will deliver them. This has contributed to the increased suicides, he said.

"The seven who have killed themselves are just the tip," he said. "They're the ones who have succeeded. Many others have tried and that goes unreported. Nobody is going to be untouched by this."

People who know the teen who died last week say they saw no warning signs.

"She was a lovely girl from a lovely family," said Michael Tapner, a 57-year-old family friend and retired coal miner. "I blame the environment. There is nothing for the kids to do, no place to go, nothing."

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