Danger of myspace and bebo networking sites exposed
Popular online networking sites used by youngsters can have a sinister side, a computer magazine has warned.
Researchers found examples of porn and cyber-bullying in teenagers' internet chatrooms. And users cannot tell whether anonymous friends they meet online are adults posing as children, Computing Which? warns.
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Two of the most popular sites are www.myspace.com and www.bebo.com, where youngsters create their own web pages, chat to friends and share photographs.
Which? researchers surfing various networking sites found several examples of cyber-bullying. In one instance a teenage boy's web page asked his friends to vote on whether a girl they knew had Aids.
An adult researcher easily set up an account for MySpace as a 14-year-old without having to prove age or identity. The websites also contained several pornographic profiles, which researchers saw minutes after logging on.
MySpace removed one such image within a couple of hours of its being reported. Two of the porn images were still online at Bebo nearly a day later, according to Computing Which?
The magazine's editor Jessica Ross called on networking sites to do more to protect their young members. "Children are spending hours every week on networking sites, building up their profiles and chatting with friends. However, what might seem like innocent fun has a darker, more sinister side," she said.
"Teenage users need to be aware that there is no way of knowing who is behind the face of a 'friend'."
Bebo chief executive Michael Birch told Computing Which? that cyber-bulling happened in only a small minority of cases.
Teenagers can block or remove comments left on their online profiles and report incidences to the site or their teachers.
MySpace and Bebo also employ security and child safety officers, who trawl sites for illegal or inappropriate content. Bebo aims to remove offensive images within 24 hours of their being reported. It told Computing Which? it was bringing in new technology to scan photos proactively.
The consumer magazine found most teenagers its researchers spoke to knew how to ignore distasteful sites or block unwanted communication.
Computing Which? says parents should ensure children using the sites never reveal details which could reveal their identity. Only trusted friends should be allowed to view their whole profiles and they must never lie about their age online, the magazine advises.
