Setting up a profile

What advice should I give my students about how they set up their social networking profile?

Firstly, encourage them to use a strong password (a combination of letters, numbers and symbols) on their profile. Suggest that they: Avoid obvious words and phrases, like their pet's name or their birthday; use a different password to other websites they use; and never tell anyone what their password is. 

When they register for a social networking site, they'll be asked for certain personal details, including their age.

Some social networking sites, like Club Penguin, are designed specifically for younger internet users so if you're a primary school teacher, you might want to point your students in their direction.

In addition, many of the leading social networking services, like Bebo, Facebook and MySpace, have a minimum membership age of 13 or 14. And you'll be glad to hear that - recognising that some children below the minimum age might provide a false date of birth - they use complex techniques to identify and remove underage users.

If your student fulfils the provider's age criteria, they'll be able to create a Web page containing information such as their name, email address, hobbies, and likes and dislikes. They'll also be able to upload photographs and videos and set up contacts or ‘friends' lists.

Many social networking providers offer safety information and tools to help their members manage what is public and private, choose whom they interact with, and who can post comments on their blog or profile.

In addition, there are often restrictions on teenagers' accounts, such as automatically assigning a private profile to under-16s or blocking all users who are over 18 from contacting teenage members.

It's worth checking with the individual providers about their privacy and safety policies for young people. You can find the contact details of the leading UK social networking services here.

Click here for our tips on privacy and personal safety.