One thing we do (11-18 year olds) is make the profile un viewable to guests. This means only students and staff can see the profile info. (Security->Site Policies)
You can also "lock" user fields (Users->Authentication->Manual accounts (or however you set up accounts) so that students cannot add certain types of contact info. (better to teach them about what types of information they would like public and the consequences of certain info becoming public)
If you want to remove profile picture from the profile page you can fairly easily hack the page to not display profile picture or description.
HOWEVER, the walled garden social network is a valuable teaching tool and I highly recommend allowing your students and staff to interact in the safe and secure environment.
http://www.moodlenews.com/2010/how-moodles-social-networking-features-became-a-virtual-hangout%E2%80%9D-for-students-by-cytochromec/
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Only minimal student data - HELP!
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