NEW YORK (Reuters) - Facebook Inc, has agreed to settle a child safety probe in New York, the New York state attorney said on Tuesday.

“Social networking sites, popular among young people, have quickly gained members and appeal, but also act as a magnet for those who would prey on the young,” New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said.

Under the terms of the settlement, Facebook has agreed to begin addressing any complaint within 24 hours of being told of inappropriate content — involving such things as nudity, profanity or harassment — by a user or e-mail correspondent.

Social networking sites are facing increased pressure from state law enforcement officials in the US to introduce age verification technology aimed at rooting out online sexual predators. See full article.

NetIDme Age Verification

The social networking site, MySpace provides a forum to meet old friends, catch up on news, and listen to the latest music. But like the real world, it also has its share of undesirables. The online site has found more than 29,000 registered sex offenders among its 180 million members, it was revealed yesterday. (more)

Disney is launching DGamer, a social network for gamers. It’s set to launch initially in USA, in may 2008. The community will be accessible through Nintendo DS and Disney’s website. The plan is that users will be able to play each other and chat, as well as create personalized avatars, befriend other users, track high scores and vote in polls. More from Mashable

Almost All Teens Online A recent study shows almost all teens in the U.S. participate in social networking at least once a week.

A recent study by Alloy Media & Marketing found that a massive 96 percent of U.S. teens and tweens go online to participate in a social network at least once a week. more

Cyworld, the social networking platform that lets you create your own virtual home space, has recently added Live Chat to its service.

You can see which of your neighbours are online at the same time, and start a new, live chat with them immediately. A chat link displays in your list of friends online, along with the option of sending a message (Cygram).

A concern is that you won’t be sure who you are speaking to.  A NetIDme account lets you swap your own personal, virtual ID card with other NetIDme members in order to check their age, gender and general location before deciding to chat to  neighbours.