Parents warned of cyber danger with smartphones

Many parents buying their children a smartphone this Christmas have “no idea” of the potential dangers of the online dangers their child may face.

The Irish National Teachers’ Organisation (INTO) pointed out that with one in three children under the age of 16 using a smartphone on a daily basis to access the internet, parents needed to be aware of the dangers of unsupervised internet access for children.

General secretary of the INTO Sheila Nunan said parents had to take responsibility for their children’s safety and could not rely on primary schools exclusively to solve problems such as “stranger danger” and cyberbullying.