Companies have duty to solve crisis

THE worst nightmares of parents are confirmed by studies reflecting a massive increase in child sex abuse since the arrival of the Internet.

There is a growing feeling of alarm and a deep sense of helplessness among parents in the face of technological advances which many find bewildering.

With over one million people, including almost every child in the country, fluent in this revolutionary communication system, its positive aspects are well documented. However, there are risks inherent in children having unfettered access to a global network with few boundaries, moral or otherwise. The ISPCC warning of a strong correlation between Internet pornography and sex abuse underlines the gravity of the situation.

There is no denying that the latest developments, involving the transmission of pornography through mobile phones, underline the huge dangers facing children who are virtually certain to be exposed to pornography in this manner. Given the difficulties involved in tracing paedophiles who use mobile phones to contact and groom their young victims, the phone companies have a duty to support Professor Max Taylor of UCC for a technological solution to this looming crisis.