The Finnish teenager who shot and killed six students, a principal, and a nurse at his school before turning a gun on himself had problems that afflict many students here and around the world. Pekka-Eric Auvinen, 18, was described by police as a bullied outcast. His actions and his fate should serve as a warning to parents and school officials that children today are being subjected to bullying unlike anything we encountered in our youth. Being bullied in school is one thing, but being cyber-bullied happens around the clock.

Parents who insist that their children need cell phones for their safety may not realize that these devices can also be used to torment their offspring. Text messages in cyberspace can name-call, belittle, and harass others in anonymity, and the sad fact is that while statistics show that more than 42% of children are cyber-bullied, either by phone or by computer, many do not report it to their parents or school authorities.

I was never bullied as a young student because I attended a parochial school where the only bullies allowed wore black habits and wimples and all the students were united in fear. (Just kidding, Sister.) Nevertheless, with today’s technological advances, any child in any school is vulnerable to anonymous, predatory bullies. Since the Columbine school shootings in 1999, school educators have established various programs to deal with school bullies. A few have established “no bullying zones,” which make absolutely no sense at all. Children will be bullied as soon as they leave the designated area, so the only thing this does is free the school from legal liability.

Under the New York State Department of Education’s school violence and prevention intervention mandate, specialists from the Students Advocating against Violence Initiative have trained 300 New York City public school educators in SAAVI concepts and curriculum. I looked at the cost of this program and wondered why everything that has to do with education in our city costs so much when common sense is cheaper and works better. You can train all the teachers and administrators in the school system and not produce the results of one of Jeff Gomez’s “Never Surrender” seminars.

The lucky students at P.S. 148Q in Queens last week held a career day and had the opportunity to hear the former schoolteacher speak. I profiled Mr. Gomez, the CEO and president of Starlight Runner Entertainment Inc., a few years ago. I had contacted him about the animated video that came with my grandson’s Hot Wheels toy car. Mr. Gomez created the innovative story line for “Highway 35: World Race,” and I learned that his company is involved with several highly successful franchises, producing and developing animation, comic book, and video game packages. What had impressed me most, however, was hearing that his success came in spite of a hostile childhood environment. Mr. Gomez was born in a charity ward to a teenage Jewish girl and a teenage Puerto Rican father, and his forceps delivery resulted in the paralysis of the left side of his face. If anyone can understand bullying, it is this man, who grew up in the Baruch housing projects and endured endless teasing and harassment.

Yet this chief executive has championed the concerns of youth, and his advice on bullying is based on common sense, not formulas designed by bureaucrats.

His three-pronged system is simple, yet effective: First, teach your child good posture and direct movements. Hunched shoulders and staring at the floor are target signs that bullies look for. Second, teach your child not to mumble. Children who speak up with a clear, strong voice are less likely to be targeted because bullies don’t like to attract attention. Third, encourage friendships for your child and teach him or her to stick together with other children, because bullies are less inclined to target groups.

As for cyber-bullies, Mr. Gomez tells students to tell a trusted adult about the bullying; not to open or read messages from bullies; not to erase them, as they may be needed to take action; not to agree to meet someone in an online forum or via instant messaging, as bullies can be blocked, and to report threats to the police.

Mr. Gomez has produced an anti-bullying video with Operation Respect, “Don’t Laugh at Me,” that our education department might consider incorporating into its programs.

Parents need to wake up and connect with their school-age children. The saddest thing is hearing parents of bullied suicidal killers say after the fact, “I had no idea.”

acolon@nysun.com