TEENAGE lovers are being rated on their sexual performance in a disturbing Facebook phenomenon.

Anti-bullying and child protection experts have raised worries about the sites, which the Herald Sun has chosen not to name.

The Facebook sites, run by anonymous administrators, encourage users to rate sexual partners with a score out of 10 before the ratings are published for public viewing.

Sites include a Victoria-wide group, one for bayside suburbs and another for Mornington Peninsula.

Several hundred users, mostly secondary school students, have signed up.

Critics called on Facebook to shut down the sites.

Child Wise chief executive Bernadette McMenamin said she was appalled by the trend.

"I am continually shocked by the way young people are being sexually exploited on the internet," Ms McMenamin said.

"It is an indication of just how sexualised our society has become when it comes to young people."

She said teens were putting themselves at risk of physical danger because of the public nature of Facebook.

"Who knows who is running the site?" she said.

"Is it a predator, an older person, a school teacher?

"The internet is out of control and no one is doing anything about it.

"I call on the industry to step up. It should be monitoring these sites 24 hours a day and shutting them down when appropriate."

Bravehearts founder Hetty Johnston said the sites added to a long list of pressures on young people.

"Pressures to perform like circus monkeys to meet the unrealistic and dangerous heights of cool being sold to them by adults peddling their wares to make money," Ms Johnston said.

"Young people feel pressure to be sexy in every imaginable way.

"Marketers are targeting our youth, bombarding them with sexual messaging and imagery to the point that they are desensitised to the meaning and value of notions such as private, personal dignity, self-esteem and personal space."

She said the effects of Facebook pages were as dangerous as cigarette advertising.

"How can we know advertising cigarettes encourages kids to smoke and not know that advertising sex encourages kids to engage in sex," Ms Johnston said.

"The marketing, fashion, music and media industries are doing all the grooming work for the paedophiles.

"Kids are being harmed by this in many ways, this website being just one of them."

One site administrator declined to comment yesterday.

Another site was removed soon after the administrator was contacted by the Herald Sun.

Facebook would not comment.

deerys@heraldsun.com.au

Originally published as Teens Facebook sex rating outrage