An online game aimed at young girls has sparked outrage among parents for encouraging children to have plastic surgery and take diet pills.

The Miss Bimbo game is aimed at nine to 16 year-olds and gives players a virtual avatar that competes against other players to "become the most famous, beautiful, sought after bimbo across the globe".

Players compete in beauty contests and send text messages to the site to earn currency in the game, which is then used to pay for lingerie, diet pills, breast enhancement and facelifts.

Groups working with vulnerable children have expressed serious misgivings about the game.

"This is as lethal as pro-anorexia websites," Dee Dawson, medical director at Rhodes Farm Clinic, which treats girls aged from eight to 18 who suffer eating disorders, told The Times.

"A lot of children will get caught up with the extremely damaging and appalling messages."

Nearly 250,000 players have registered on the Miss Bimbo site in the UK, and 1.2 million youngsters play the game in France where it originated.

"I would not want my daughter playing a game like this," said one concerned parent. "It sends out all the wrong messages about what it takes to get ahead. I would rather my daughter learned that brains are more important than looks."