Mobile phone safety - Code of practice is welcome

WORRIED parents of young children using mobile phones will welcome the new code of practice aimed at improving the safety of Irish youngsters.

Despite the undoubted advantages of the phenomenon, ranging from global communications, video photography, tracking devices and dramatic rescues, there is no disputing the fact that, in the wrong hands, the service is open to abuse.

The dangers became apparent when the Irish Examiner broke the news that gardaí were investigating reports of mobile phones being used to circulate indecent images of a teenage girl among Irish schoolchildren.

The resulting scandal sent shockwaves through homes and schools up and down the country. As gardaí sought to trace the origin of the lewd pictures, they issued a stark warning that possession or distribution of such images were criminal offences.

Not before time, major service providers — Meteor, O2, Vodafone and 3 Ireland — have committed themselves to ensuring the protection of children through a long-awaited initiative aimed specifically at giving parents and teachers fresh confidence in the safety of the latest technology.

Parents everywhere will join Communications Minister Noel Dempsey in applauding this significant contribution to the community, especially its promise to protect young people in our society.

Hopefully, these measures will work and allay the fears of parents on the potential abuses of mobile phones. In the final analysis, however, the jury will remain out until it has been established beyond doubt that this long overdue code of practice can prove really effective in safeguarding our children.