The former teacher interviewed 210 girls aged 13 and 14 in New Zealand and Canada to determine which personality traits were related to text bullying. He found a lack of impulse control was one of the main factors behind text bullying, as was a lack of maturity.
"Text bullying is different and potentially more damaging to victims than other forms of cyber-bullying, such as threatening or hurtful emails, because cell phones can be used anywhere, anytime," Mr Sanderson said.
"The anonymity of the technology can embolden the bully because they do not see the immediate results of their actions and they can express more extreme forms of indirect aggression without immediate consequences."
His study also showed girls were just as likely to bully friends as people they did not know well, and that girls were more likely to text bully than boys.
"Girls are less likely to use physical violence and much more likely to use indirect violence," Mr Sanderson said.
"Girls hold grudges longer than boys do and they often involve others to `gang up' on the victim. Girls prefer to bully via technology rather than confront each other directly."
Mr Sanderson recommended schools offer impulse and conflict training to students to reduce bullying.
Some of the girls he interviewed downplayed the seriousness of text bullying by saying they were "only joking".
However, it could have serious consequences; 12-year-old Waikato girl Alex Teka took her life three years ago after being bullied relentlessly through text messages and emails, which included a death threat.
