Teen craze over networking sites

Teen craze over networking sites
By Mark Ward
Technology correspondent, BBC News website

One school that has banned Bebo is Kent College, an independent girls school near Tunbridge Wells.

Debbie Cowley, technology teacher at the college, told the BBC she was concerned about what pupils were sharing via the site. Some were posting personal details, pictures and even making disparaging comments about the school and its staff.

Ms Cowley said she was not happy with the level of security on Bebo and wanted more warnings about the potential dangers of sharing too much information.

In response to these concerns, Mr Birch said: "As I understand it, some schools have blocked us and they block many sites as a matter of course if they are not directly related to school work.

"We do include a link to safety tips on our homepage and at the footer of every single page on the site.

"We are continuing to look at new ways of educating users."