HATE crime carried out on social media must be taken as seriously as "offline" offences, new guidelines for prosecutors say.
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) policy statements have been updated to take account of the mounting number of cases sparked by abuse in cyber space.
The revised documents cover different strands of hate crime - racist and religious; disability; and homophobic, biphobic and transphobic.
They say: "Hate crime can be perpetrated online or offline, or there can be a pattern of behaviour that includes both.
"The internet and social media in particular have provided new platforms for offending behaviour."
The CPS says it will prosecute complaints of hate crime online "with the same robust and proactive approach used with offline offending, whilst recognising that children may not appreciate the potential harm and seriousness of their communications" and "treat online complaints as seriously as offline complaints".
The CPS emphasised that it has always considered each case on its individual merits and prosecutes offences, whether committed online or offline, where there is sufficient evidence and it is in the public interest.
In Cumbria statistics revealed earlier this year show there has been a 27 per cent increase in recorded hate crime.
Between January and July there were 205 hate crimes reported. This was a stark increase on the previous year when there were 161 recorded in the same time period.
Elsewhere, the policy documents acknowledge that victims of biphobic hate crime have different experiences and needs to those affected by homophobic and transphobic offences.
Alison Saunders, the Director of Public Prosecutions, said: "Hate crime has a corrosive effect on our society and that is why it is a priority area for the CPS.
"It can affect entire communities, forcing people to change their way of life and live in fear."
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