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It was revealed last year that over half of employers had looked up prospective employees online, trawling social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace and Bebo.

However, the Children's Charities' Coalition on Internet Safety says it's wrong for postings made by teenagers to become a resource for employers during the recruitment process.

"When young people put up their personal profiles they are not thinking about job or university applications," says John Carr, secretary

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of the group in an interview with The Times. "Typically they are just talking to their mates. Employers or admissions tutors who delve into these places are being highly and inappropriately intrusive. It's a bit like looking at someone's diary."

The children's charities are hoping to persuade the government to tighten existing data protection laws so that employers require permission to access online data, much as they currently need permission to contact referees.

However, critics have pointed out that resources such as websites and blogs are increasingly being used to showcase work and experience, and that any sort of blanket ban on the use of online resources could hinder candidates, rather than help.

Last year, experts warned that the increasing use of online resources in recruitment would make a court case inevitable.

"Many people will put very private and personal information they would not want an employer to know on an internet site where it can be read by anyone," says Chris Boyle of Napthen's solicitors.

"But for an employer to use this to make a decision on hiring-and-firing is just not sensible and raises many legal issues, not least of which is privacy."