28% of kids engage with strangers online

Up to 28% of children, aged eight to 13, have had occasional or daily contact with a stranger on social media, messaging and gaming platforms, an Irish cybersafety charity has warned.

Since it launched over a year ago, CyberSafeIreland has spoken to more than 4,000 children aged eight to 13. It found that while many connections are harmless, there are “cases of significant concern”, particularly for the 5% of children who are in contact with a stranger on a daily basis.

On Safer Internet Day, cyber crime expert and co-founder of CyberSafeIreland, Cliona Curley says parents are overwhelmed by the challenge of keeping their kids safe online.