VARIOUS ONLINE social networking websites targeted at children are beginning to crop up, meaning parents should be aware of the possible dangers these can present, it has been warned.
At an information evening yesterday for parents in Dublin, Luison Lassala, an IT consultant and director of the Anchor Youth Centre in Artane, noted that websites and online tools such Bebo and MSN messenger remained hugely popular but were also not without risks. Other websites, he said, such as Stardoll, girlsense, missbimbo, clubpenguin and wee world, were targeted at children, some of whom were as young as five and six. These commercial websites could often lead parents to be asked for money to allow their children to fully access their content.
Mr Lassala also said that among the benefits of online social networking websites were that they provided children with their "own personal space" and gave them a sense of belonging to a group. They "are also great fun".
However, he added that parents needed to be aware of the risks involved, including social withdrawal, with children spending excessive amounts of time on such sites. Children could also receive or gain access to unsuitable material, and could be subject to cyberbullying, including abuse, identity theft and social exclusion.
Paul Durrant, general manager of the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland, said it had recently relaunched its "hotline" website which allows members of the public to report incidences of online child pornography.
Both men were speaking at an information session for parents at the Cleraun centre in Dublin yesterday evening. Cleraun is a university centre for men close to UCD.
Its spiritual and doctrinal activities are entrusted to Opus Dei, which is a personal prelature of the Catholic church. The centre has a small chapel and a resident chaplain who is a priest of Opus Dei.