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 12 May 2008 08:28 BST

Nearly half of children have social network profile

Wednesday, 02 Apr 2008 12:03
Many children use social networking sites, but not all use privacy settings

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Nearly half of all children who have access to the internet have their own personal profile on a social networking site and many do not use privacy settings, according to research from Ofcom.

Social networking is widespread among eight to 17-year-olds, with 49 per cent holding a profile, compared to a fifth (22 per cent) of adults with a profile.

Of those children who use social networking, the study shows 41 per cent leave their privacy settings as default 'open' which means their profiles are visible to anyone.

This number was slightly higher for adults, at 44 per cent.

In addition, 34 per cent of 16-24 year olds are willing to give out sensitive personal information such as their phone number or email address while online.

NSPCC head of policy and public affairs, Diana Sutton, said: "The reality is that children and young people are social networking online, and this is a growing phenomenon that has both benefits and risks.

"We should all educate and empower children to stay safe online. There are some fairly simple steps that adults can take; such as placing a computer where the whole family can see it, or making use of filtering software.

"It's also important that parents and carers take time to understand children's online lives, talk to them about possible dangers, and make sure they know to tell someone if they see anything that makes them feel uncomfortable."

Ofcom said some 27 per cent of eight-11 year olds who are aware of social networking sites and have internet access have an online profile.

While some of these are on sites intended for younger children, the presence of underage users on social networking sites intended for those aged 13 or over was confirmed by the research.

And while 65 per cent of parents claim to set rules on their child's use of social networking sites, only 53 per cent of children said that their parents set such rules.

A minority of people reported being aware of bullying through social networking sites and some younger users admitted using social networking sites to 'get back' at people they had fallen out with.

Facebook is the most popular site with adults followed by MySpace and then Bebo. For children aged between eight and 17, Bebo was the most used social networking site.End of story

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