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London, May 6 : A leading public school headmistress has warned that social networking sites and celebrities are creating a generation of 'mean girls'.

In a fierce attack, Helen Wright said sites such as Facebook encouraged teenagers to believe 'bitching is good'.

'They're far more used to defriending friends online rather than befriending them in reality. If it's possible in just a moment to defriend someone or unfriend them on Facebook, then people say, 'Why can't I do that in real life'' the Daily Mail quoted her as saying.

'We are in real danger of cultivating a generation of 'mean girls'',' she said.

The headmistress of St Mary's Calne in Wiltshire also criticised a lack of positive role models for young women, saying high-profile female friendships seem to be based on 'bitchiness, meanness, cruelty and criticising what someone's wearing and how they look'.

'Many young women mistakenly se women like Paris Hilton and her latest BFF [best friend forever] and the cast of The Only Way Is Essex as relevant role models and seek to emulate their behaviour,' she said.

Party-loving Paris Hilton and TV personality Nicole Richie had a public falling-out in 2005, after which the two refused to speak to each other for more than a year.

It was rumoured Richie had caused the rift by showing friends a sex tape featuring the heiress, but she denied this.

In other rows, Gwyneth Paltrow aimed barbed comments at Madonna as they competed for the services of a female personal trainer, while Geri Halliwell was the one 'Spice Girl' not invited to the Beckhams' wedding after her clash with Victoria.

Former pupils of 29,694-pound-a-year St Mary's include David Cameron's sister Clare and Jade Jagger, who was expelled for sneaking out to meet a boyfriend.

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Social networking creating generation of 'mean girls'