It is being viewed in legal circles as a landmark trial concerning internet law, and has inspired an episode of American legal drama series Law and Order.

Jury selection began yesterday in the case of the US versus Lori Drew, a Missouri woman accused of using a social networking profile to drive a 13-year-old to suicide.

Prosecutors say that Drew, 49, violated the terms of service of the MySpace networking site by helping to create a false account, in order to harass her daughter's former friend, Megan Meier, a neighbour of Drew in St Louis, Missouri. Drew is accused of posing as a 16-year-old boy named Josh Evans and then befriending Meier, along with her daughter and her 18-year-old assistant, who are also accused of participating.

Thirteen-year-old Meier, who was receiving treatment for depression, hanged herself in October 2006 after allegedly receiving messages from the false account, including one telling her: "The world would be a better place without you."

The case is being seen as the first instance of alleged "cyber bullying".

Drew is being prosecuted under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which has never been used before in connection with a website's terms of service regarding the barring of users who misrepresent themselves through false accounts. The Act is generally used to target computer hackers.

US District Judge George Wu said he would tell jurors that the case is about whether Drew violated the terms of service of the MySpace site, and not about whether she caused Meier's suicide.

Drew denies charges of conspiracy and accessing protected computers without authorisation. Each of the four counts against Drew carries a maximum jail term of five years.