RIYADH: A total of 26 accounts on social networking sites have been blocked for promoting counterfeit commodities, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry (MCI) announced here on Monday.

Ministry inspectors had targeted sites on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for violating trademarks and intellectual property rights in 20,000 advertisements, which had prevented over 1 million users from being scammed and their health affected, a ministry official said.

He urged consumers not to have any dealings with these and other sites because they sell goods from unidentified manufacturers. These sites use WhatsApp to market their products, he said.

Meanwhile , a sociologist has warned that excessive use of social networking sites, especially by the younger generation, is resulting in a deterioration of values and taking a toll on both Arabic and English languages.

In a study, Wafa bint Nasir Al-Ajami, from the sociology and social services department at Imam Mohamed ibn Saud Islamic University, said Saudis rank fifth in the Arab world in terms of social networking activity, with Internet users now at 15 million.

Al-Ajami said negative consequences for the Saudi community include a deterioration of social relations and a rise in divorce and infidelity.