Online alcohol groups 'target children'

Thousands of children are joining online groups which promote alcohol.

Many of them are under 18 and yet the practice is "completely unregulated", experts warned yesterday.

The social networking site Bebo - which is popular with school-age children - has more than 19,000 groups dedicated to alcohol, said Tobias Paul, from the Scottish Youth Commission on Alcohol. One group, which has 77,901 members, is called "Lovers of WKD", the cider.

Another group called "Have you Got a WKD Side?" - an official campaign run by the brand - says "let's get 5,000 fans!" and has 1,635 members.

Mr Paul said users were now "promoting alcohol, often to the extreme" which had a "really big influence" on youngsters.

"There is peer pressure on young people to try that product or drink this one."