There’s nothing new about adolescents and young adults being mean to one another, but the modern prevalence of online communications significantly ups the ante when it comes to causing hurt and embarrassment.

A newly released Associated Press-MTV poll paints a disturbing picture of life in the electronic village for people between the ages of 14 and 24. Most of those responding — 56 percent — reported they had been the target of some kind of online taunting, harassment or bullying. A third said they had been involved in “sexting” or sharing photos or video of sexual activity and/or naked photos of themselves or an acquaintance. Of those who have been in a relationship, about 40 percent said their partners have used computers or cellphones to abuse or control them.

An AP story about the poll shared some specific examples of bullying behavior. One woman, now 22, said that, when she was 12, before she even ventured onto the Internet herself, someone used her name to set up an account to spread lies about her. When she was 18, she let a boyfriend pressure her into sending him a revealing photo of herself. After they broke up, he threatened to use the photo to embarrass her.

It is easy to do. With the push of a button, the photo or any mean comment or lie someone wanted to spread can be sent to an unlimited number of people or posted on a website that displays it to the online public. Again, there’s nothing new about bullying, but what once was an insult shouted across the lunchroom to a relatively limited audience now can be broadcast literally around the world any time of the day or night. Unlike in the lunchroom, the anonymity of the Internet also shields people from the responsibility for the hurtful things they do or say.

Whom can young people trust? Sixteen percent of those surveyed said someone — perhaps a friend or a friend of a friend — had posted embarrassing pictures or video of them without their permission. Of course, the best way to avoid such a situation is not to allow embarrassing photos to be taken; a lapse in judgment can have serious consequences. Three-fourths of those who responded to the survey said they consider the darker aspects of online communication a serious problem. The seriousness often is magnified by the natural turmoil of the growing-up years. Particularly relentless cases of “digital abuse” even have been cited as contributing factors to teen suicides.

If it was tough to get through your teens and early 20s with your self-esteem and reputation intact a generation or two ago, the age of instant communication has made it much harder today. The people in the age group responding to this AP-MTV survey are no doubt learning a lot about how to shield themselves from online rumors, lies and embarrassment. Perhaps the lessons they learn can be put to good use by the generations that go after them.