Sex and lies on sites

By Bridget Cook and Lia Bichel
YOUNG women in Casey have spoken out about their anger after finding their sex lives being discussed on Facebook gossip pages.
Less than a week after the News revealed malicious comments were being posted on gossip pages including Berwick-High Goss and Cranbourne Goss, new sites have surfaced which rate young local people on their sexual performance.
Tiffany, 16, said she was shocked to find her name on one of the sites.
“I felt like my whole private life was on display for everyone to read,” she said.
“These sites are very immature and pathetic and could have a very bad effect on teenagers with already low self-esteem. Having your private sexual life on the internet for everyone to read is very damaging.
“Teenagers these days will use anything to get back at their enemies and these sites are just giving them more ammunition and reason to pick on people. They should definitely be shut down.” Cranbourne West resident Kristy Styles, 21, who also appeared on one of the sites, agreed.
“It made me feel upset and angry,” she said. “Shut it down, it’s rude and uncalled for.”
Director of Cybersafety Solutions and former police officer Susan McLean said results of this type of internet behaviour could be “catastrophic” and said there had been suicides linked to cyber-bullying.
“It’s disgusting, and these people (running the sites) think this type of behaviour is acceptable,” Ms McLean said.
She said it was a crime to use the internet or mobile phones to menace, harass or cause offence and urged anyone who had been a victim of these taunts to report it to Facebook administration and the police.
“They routinely remove these sites and take their roles seriously,” Ms McLean said.
“Police also have the capability, through a process of warrants, in getting info as to who set the site up. You can not be anonymous online,” she said.