More than half of primary schoolchildren in Ireland are at risk of making contact with strangers online, according to research by an online safety charity.
CyberSafekids has revealed that 51 per cent of children between the ages of eight and 12 have no parental restrictions around online contact, such as chatting and gaming with people they do not know. The findings are based on survey responses from more than 3,300 children and 1,700 parents.
Just 39 per cent of child respondents said their parents “check, monitor or control” what they do online. The charity says this leaves many children exposed to inappropriate content or contact from strangers.
The research indicates that Irish children are highly active online, with 93 per cent of those surveyed saying they go online to game or use apps, often using platforms that are designed for older users.
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A quarter of parents said they are “not at all” familiar with, and do not understand, the games and apps their child uses. Less than half employ parental controls over online activity, and just 13 per cent said they are “very” familiar with the apps, or have used them themselves.
Despite regulatory requirements prohibiting it, 69 per cent of children between eight and 12 reported having at least one account on a social media platform with a legal age rating of 13 and over. Social media prevalence among 12-year-olds was 79 per cent.
One in five children said they have some accounts set as public, while 17 per cent reported having friends or followers that they do not know offline.
An Irish Times/Ipsos opinion poll recently revealed that three-quarters of voters favour banning under-16s from accessing social media. CyberSafeKids said its findings suggest many children do not have a clear understanding of online privacy and risk, meaning they are more likely to overshare and interact with strangers.
Just under a third of child respondents said they post photos or videos of themselves online, most commonly on TikTok, followed by Snapchat and YouTube. WhatsApp is also a popular place for image-sharing, and girls are more likely to share images and videos than boys.
While most parents said they set rules and limits on screen time and online activity, almost half admitted that those rules are not always enforced.
“Without clear guidance, children may overshare – and with the rise of nudification tools and ‘AI girlfriend’ apps, their content can be altered and misused, putting them at serious risk,” said Alex Cooney, chief executive of CyberSafeKids. “Parents cannot manage this alone and urgently need stronger, effective regulation to help keep children safe online.”
The charity has called on the Government to implement a number of new measures, including a ban on apps and AI-based tools capable of generating deepfake sexual images.
