Social Networking Sites Criticised for not Tackling Cyber Bullies

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Some of the world’s largest social networking sites came under sharp criticism today for not doing enough to tackle the growing problem of online bullying. Britain’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection organization (Ceop) is concerned over the fact that the largest social networking sites—namely Facebook and MySpace—have not made use of a free tool it offers to battle both bullying and online child abuse on its networks. Jim Gamble, the governmental organization’s chief director, does not understand why Facebook is not introducing the so-called “Ceop button” to its site, when Bebo—a rival social networking service—has already made the change.

By clicking on the button—now available on all profiles—Bebo users can send a report if someone has violated the site’s terms, or if someone else is posing a risk by engaging in abusive and threatening behaviour. In fact, the Ceop button allows users to contact the governmental organization directly, if they feel that an underage user of a social networking site is being exposed to abuse of any kind.

Gamble argues that since sites like Facebook and MySpace are generating massive advertising revenue by attracting millions of children, teenagers and young adults, they also have a duty to protect those that might be vulnerable to bullying or any other form of abuse. When journalists from The Guardian contacted Facebook, the network’s spokesperson suggested that the site will wait to see how well the Ceop button works on Bebo, before deciding whether or not to integrate this into Facebook. If Facebook does decide to adopt this approach to reporting abuse, a Ceop button would appear under each UK user’s profile.