Anti-bullying activists are on alert after a video posted on the Internet showed the violent extremes of schoolyard taunts and intimidation.

In a 30-second video clip circulating online, a 14-year-old Saskatchewan elementary school student is attacked by two other girls as a crowd of teenagers watches and shouts encouragement.

The video was allegedly sent to thousands in cyberspace.

Although the idea of bullying is not new, a newer high-tech incarnation has experts worried countrywide.

Using the cellular phones that have now become so commonplace among young Canadians -- with their combined ability to record and send text messages, photos and video -- bullies are extending the effects of their violence and intimidation.

"That whole sense of 'cyberbullying' is raising bullying to a whole new level, one we need to be concerned about," Dr. Mary Hall of Safe Schools Manitoba tells CTV News.

The reason experts are concerned is that statistics show crowds of spectators typically escalate bullying incidents.

As Saskatoon City Police Const. Dave Malanovich explains, using a cellphone to quickly draw a crowd to your fight means the chance for de-escalation is slim before the first punch is even thrown.

"In a matter of 10 or 15 minutes, you can notify 200 people about something that's about to happen," Const. Malanovich told CTV.

Once that crowd is assembled, violence can quickly intensify, he added.

"Kids today often times won't be happy with losing face, especially in front of a crowd of 250 to 300 people. So they might go to a knife or a weapon, and that would be tragic. That's why we take this so seriously."

The ease with which such videos can be found online and young people's typically cavalier attitude towards violence is a big concern.

"A lot of kids views about violence is skewed," Const. Malanovich says, noting that feelings of invincibility aren't uncommon among teenagers.

"It's important we get the message across: fighting is dangerous and it's not an entertainment sport."

But the problem is that many children are far ahead of their parents when it comes to technological know-how. According to Dr. Hall, that's all the more reason for adults to bring themselves up to speed.

"What we need to do as parents, adults, educators, members of the community, we need to increase our own understanding of cybersafety, Internet use."

This latest video clip, cyberbullying activist Bill Belsey says, gives adults a chance to glimpse what happens on so many schoolyards.

"It gives adults a window into what so many kids have to deal with on a regular basis," Bellsey told CTV.

The victim of the videotaped attack told CTV News she just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and wasn't badly hurt in the incident.

Although the phenomenon is new, circulation of potentially hurtful of humiliating videos online is not new.

In one of Canada's most famous Internet video cases, a boy whose school project wound up online took the four students who posted it to court in a $250,000 lawsuit.

With a report by CTV's Jill Macyshon