What are social networking sites?

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You may have heard your child talking about Facebook, Bebo or MySpace. These are all social networking sites popular with young people where they can interact with friends from school or clubs, but also meet new people.

Whilst there are a few differences between them, most social networking sites involve the person creating a web page all about themselves. This sounds quite complicated but all you really need to do is fill in a few details and you're away.

The individual usually uploads a photo, writes their name and some personal information about themselves such as their likes and dislikes, where they work or go to school and what music they like. With most of the sites, the amount of information you share is optional so in the most basic of cases it would just feature the person's name. Most also have the option of 'locking' the page so that only your friends can see the content. If you're worried about your child's safety online, this could be a really good option. If their page is locked to everyone but their friends, then there's very little risk.

How do they work?

The sites work by each person creating their page and then gathering friends. A request is put to the user via email for someone to become their friend. The person will then have the option to accept or decline this friend, which if accepted will allow them to write messages to each other and perhaps access more information than would otherwise be available. It's a great way of getting back in touch with people who you would otherwise have no way of contacting and also of sharing photos and making quick arrangements with existing friends.

What are the dangers?

The main fear of children using sites such as these is that the information they are sharing can be accessed by strangers, which could put them at risk. An arrangement for going to the cinema between two friends could potentially be read by anyone which would put your child in a specific location at a certain time. This said however, there are a number of ways in which you can ensure this doesn't happen.

Ways to prevent problems

Whilst all of these steps will involve you trusting your child to some extent, these are all issues that you should raise if you know they're using a social networking site:

1. Ask your child if they have locked their profile, and so that anybody wanting to access their page would have to put in a request first.
2. Ask them not to share details of their address, mobile number or school. Some sites encourage you to join 'groups' attached to a school or area but explain to your child, that this could be dangerous and they can still enjoy the fun of the site without giving away such details.
3. Warn them about 'making friends' with strangers, as it can be easy for someone to set up a fake profile and people may not always be as they seem.
4. Encourage your child to discuss arrangements with school friends, and people they know via private messages rather than in the public spaces which are more accessible to others.
5. Join up yourself. The way in which these sites work might sound completely baffling when written down, so what better way to find out what your kids are up to than by getting involved yourself. You will be surprised at how many adults visit sites such as Facebook and MySpace, so why not sign up and start looking up old friends and work colleagues. And if you're confused about how to get going, you could even ask your kids for help.

Make your own page for free on:
Facebook
Myspace
Bebo

- Next: cracking the internet code

More help and advice

- Ten tips to help your kids stay safe online
- One mum's story of her teen's online addiction

- For in depth information from the government on internet safety, see their guidelines.
- The Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre's website thinkyouknow.co.uk is designed specifically for parents who want to know more about how their children are using the internet.
- Alternatively, Kidsmart is a website aimed at children highlighting things for them to watch out for online so they don't get caught out.

By Charlotte Gunn