News

Young people's details at risk on social networking sites

1 min read Education Youth Work
Around half of social networking websites are failing to keep young people's personal details secure, according to European Commission research.

The commission looked at the policy and practice of 25 websites across Europe that signed up to its Safer Social Networking Principles last year and found that just 40 per cent ensure profiles of teenage users are only visible to friends.

The research also found that only half of websites, including Facebook, YouTube and MySpace, made it impossible to find private profiles of under-18s through search engines.

In addition, just nine out of 22 websites responded to complaints submitted by their users.

The commission also found that around half of teenagers readily give out personal information online. It has now launched a campaign called Think Before You Post!, aimed at raising awareness among teenager internet users about the dangers of parting with personal information online.

Register Now to Continue Reading

Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:

What's Included

  • Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month

  • Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector

Register

Already have an account? Sign in here

Posted under:


More like this

Hertfordshire Youth Workers

“Opportunities in districts teams and countywide”

Administration Apprentice

SE1 7JY, London (Greater)