Fergie's Tech Blog

UK: Teenage Networking Websites Face Anti-Pedophile Investigation

Paul Lewis writes in The Guardian:

Networking websites that have attracted millions of young users are to come under scrutiny from anti-paedophile investigators amid growing concerns that children are unwittingly providing material for potential abusers.

The government-backed watchdog the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre will say today it has begun an inquiry into the sites after concern from teachers and parents.

They have become alarmed at how children are using the sites such as MySpace, Facebook, Friendster and now bebo to display personal details and, in some cases, intimate photographs of themselves. It is estimated that 61% of UK children aged 13 to 17 have a personal profile on a networking site, which enable a user to create their own homepage, exhibit photographs and socialise online.

posted by Fergie @ 7/02/2006 07:04:00 PM