Miss Bimbo is a controversial social networking and online gaming site that encourages young girls to look after their own personal “bimbos” as they progress through life, change their appearance and compete in different challenges. Developed in France and the United Kingdom, the site has been gaining international popularity for a couple years now, and is one social network that parents should be aware of, especially if they have young daughters. Miss Bimbo encourages participants from all over the world to “join one another and be proud of bimboland,” and users have to enter an email address, password, Bimbo nickname, birthday and country to enter said “bimboland.”

It’s very easy to create an account on the site, but that’s not necessarily the biggest concern for parents. What’s most disturbing is the sexualization the site promotes, whether participants are being encouraged to get plastic surgery for their characters, snag a boyfriend, or win different fashion competitions. Bimbos also have to stay at a designated weight, which users can maintain by giving their characters diet pills or participating in crash diets.

While the primary concern most parents have about social networking has more to do with cyberbullying, security risks, online predators or online reputation damage, Miss Bimbo presents a whole new set of concerns. Encouraging unhealthy and unsafe habits like plastic surgery and extreme dieting – albeit through online personas – can have dangerous and lasting effects on young girls and is something that parents need to be wary of early on. Any kind of online community or social network can present certain risks, and Miss Bimbo is no exception.

Had you heard of Miss Bimbo? Are there any other social networks you worry your kids might get interested in?