The number of children that make friends through CU2 is remarkable. About 35 per cent of the visitors have a friend through CU2. Eight per cent even found a boyfriend or girlfriend on the site.

Patti Valkenburg, professor of Child and Media Research, sees CU2 as a good way for children to maintain contacts:

"Profile sites on the internet have become part of daily live of many youngsters. On a site like CU2 they can post photos and create a profile. They can react to other profiles, make friends and even start a relationship."

From the children that received comments on their profile, 78 per cent indicated that the tone of the reactions was almost always or always positive. Seven per cent indicated that the comments were often or always negative. Negative comments mostly come from young visitors.

Professor Valkenburg says:

"Children between ten and fourteen years old do not yet know their boundaries. They have not yet learnt how to act towards others. In most cases they learn this when they get older. It could help if they learn how to present themselves online." 

A subsequent study will be carried out to find out how to decrease the number of children that receive negative reactions.