Urgent safeguards are needed to protect children using the Internet, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) said today.
ISPCC
The organisation was responding to a survey that revealed some one in 10 children who had arranged to meet someone they met online experienced some form of abuse or threatening behaviour.
The ISPCC said its Childline support service in recent years had noticed an increased trend in calls relating to the Internet. The organisation said it would release statistics on such calls next year.
"Calls range from discussing incidents of online bullying to exploring the possibility of meeting new online friends," the ISPCC said.
The National Centre for Technology in Education survey found that in all cases of physical and verbal abuse reported among 848 nine- to 16-year-old Internet users, the person who introduced himself or herself as a child turned out to be an adult. One in 10 young people said the person they met tried to hurt them.
The ISPCC said the survey highlights the "urgent need for safeguards to be introduced relating to Internet safety for children".
"The ISPCC is especially concerned that one in 15 children surveyed reported that they had met in real life someone that they had first met on the Internet. Eleven per cent of these children said that the person they met up with tried to physically hurt them, and the research indicates that some of these individuals were adults who had previously posed as children.
"It is very important that young people are taught the necessary skills to use the Internet safely and to disclose incidents that could pose a threat. Parents have a vital role in this and need to be extremely vigilant regarding their children's use of the Internet.
They also need to ensure they communicate openly with their children about their Internet use and allow space for their child to discuss events and concerns regarding their online experiences," the ISPCC concluded.