There are now over one million registered Irish users of the controversial social networking website bebo.com, which is targeted at younger internet users, according to the company.
In a statement last night, it said the rise in Irish users followed the launch of several new features. These include Bebo Mail and the Bebo Bands section.
A spokeswoman said the increase in the number of registered users of the site here was not confined to children and teenagers, but included a spread of college students and older users.
The popularity of the website, and others like it, among children and young adults has previously prompted calls for Irish parents to be offered a Government-funded training programme to help them manage the risks associated with such sites.
Among the dangers associated with websites such as Bebo are the "grooming" of teenagers by older men, bullying, intimidation and the inappropriate posting of information by other teenagers.
In a recent interview with The Irish Times, Dr Rachel O'Connell, chief security officer with Bebo, acknowledged that companies such as Bebo find it very difficult to verify an individual's age.
She suggested that every school pupil in the State should be provided with a Government-supplied e-mail address as a way of addressing this problem. This could help to prevent "grooming" by ensuring that older adults would be unable to misrepresent themselves as being of school-going age.
However, others have stressed that increased funding by service providers for education campaigns could have a significant impact. The Department of Education has said the development of registration systems is a matter for service providers.