Parents ‘must be with teens buying picture phones’

THE sale of picture phones to unaccompanied teenagers should be banned, according to a Government junior minister.

Noel Ahern said yesterday phone retailers should not sell such phones to under-18s, unless their parents are with them.

“At least this way parents would know their children had the phone and they could talk to them about the dangers,” the Junior Housing Minister said.

Mr Ahern does not believe there is a need for legislation to enforce the non-sale of picture phones to under-18s.

“All we need is co-operation with the sellers and the manufactures on this. If we get their support it wouldn’t be difficult to enforce.”

Mr Ahern said these rules could be eased if new technology is created to prevent teenagers sending pornographic images. “If some software could be developed that would stop this happening, then I think youths could buy the phones again,” he said.

Meanwhile, the garda investigation into images of a schoolgirl in a sexually explicit position, which was send to thousands of camera phones nationwide, is continuing. The image of the schoolgirl has also been examined by the Garda Technical Bureau.

A senior garda spokesperson said last night the net is closing on people suspected of being in possession of the pornographic image.

“We are confident at this stage there will be a successful outcome to the investigation,” a senior garda spokesperson said.

“While this investigation is ongoing, it is very likely some sort of prosecution will arise out of this in Cork, where a number of people were questioned.”