OTTAWA (AFP) - A Canadian judge banned a 12-year-old Manitoba schoolgirl from the Facebook social network for a year after she threatened two teenagers, local media reported on Tuesday.

According to local radio station CJOB the accused posted messages online saying she wanted to strangle her two 13-year-old former friends, after a falling out over a boy.

She pleaded guilty to uttering threats and was sentenced to probation for one year and 50 hours of community service work, in addition to the judge's order to delete her Facebook account.

The girl's mother supported the ban proposed by the prosecution, but her defence lawyer opposed it, arguing that Facebook is a "staple" in the social lives of youths.