Social network sites criticised over lack of help button for children

SOCIAL networking sites like Facebook and MySpace have been criticised for failing to provide a help button for children who are targets for bullying or sexual grooming.

The criticism was made by former Co Down police officer Jim Gamble, head of Britain’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), a law enforcement agency which traces online sex offenders.

Mr Gamble made his comments as he was launching the “CEOP Report” button which is to appear on every person’s profile page on the Bebo social networking site.

According to the CEOP chief executive, one click on the icon will bring the user to a “one-stop-shop” where they can get advice and help on issues of bullying as well as unlawful or inappropriate behaviour. A number of social networking websites already have ‘report abuse’ sections on their pages but this is the first time they have linked directly to a law enforcement organisation.

Users will also find details of their local police and will be able to directly contact specially trained CEOP officers via an online reporting mechanism.

“There can hardly be a parent in the land whose teenager isn’t part of a social networking site,” said Mr Gamble. “These environments are huge and bring a vast array of converged facilities — uploads, p chats and so on — that are now so integral to young people’s lives. What today means is that every member of the Bebo community has one-click access to a powerful tool that gives them safety help and advice as well as that ultimate reassurance, the ability to find their local police or to speak to us direct via an online reporting mechanism.”

He also criticised other social networking sites. “Our challenge to them is to match the commitment made by Bebo and to help make young users safer across all social networking sites,” he said. “I can see no reason why other sites would not consider adopting the same approach (as Bebo). I don’t understand — and there is more than Facebook in this — the logic for the others not following suit.”

Facebook defended itself saying it had invested large sums of money in its reporting system.