Madam, - We are transition year students at Our Lady's Bower, Athlone and are participating in the upcoming Young Scientist Exhibition to be held in the RDS this month.
As part of our campaign to raise awareness of the Bebo phenomenon we wish to inform your readers of the social and psychological advantages and disadvantages of this website. We carried out a survey directed at Bebo users in our all-girls school and a local all-boys secondary school. From our analysis of the replies received we discovered the following facts:
• One in 10 students surveyed admitted to have been the victim of cyber bullying.
• 21 per cent of those surveyed know someone who has been cyberbullied.
• 71 per cent of people replying said they feel more confident behind the keyboard.
Through further research on the internet we found that it is estimated that five people register on the site every second. We feel that the public must be made aware of the advantages and disadvantages of Bebo and that parents, in particular, should be aware of the simple steps that can be taken to make Bebo a safe environment.
Basic safety measures include not replying to an anonymous message posted on one's site, checking that a new friend has not abused Bebo in the past, never agreeing to meet a person known only through Bebo and never giving personal details such as your phone number or address. - Yours, etc,
NAOMI ALGEO, SIAN BREATHNACH, KELLY BARRETT, Our Lady's Bower, Retreat Road, Athlone.