Share
5th September 2023
10:16am BST
"So it's not necessarily being one thing that’s happening at one time, it certainly is persistent."
She added that another major issue is that children don't always report cyberbullying, saying that "we don’t where it stops, it could go on and on and on and really impact children over the longer term."
The study also revealed that online gaming is popular with young children as 15% of children are playing over 18 games like Call of Duty and Grand Theft Auto, with boys more likely to indulge in these games.
Around three-quarters of 12 to 16-year-olds said they can go online any time they wish and 40% are posting videos of themselves to social media platforms.
31% of eight to 12-year-olds said they can go on the internet whenever they like while 15% of primary school children said there are no rules in place for internet use.
42% of young boys and 27% of girls also admitted to gaming online with a stranger.
The survey revealed that many young children are unaware of how to protect themselves online, with over a quarter of all the children surveyed having seen or experienced something online in the last year that "bothered" them. This included sexual or violent content. This figure jumped to 67% for secondary school children.
"Online safety for children remains a critical issue that is not being sufficiently addressed in Ireland’s education system or by the social media companies whose platforms are being used," added Cooney.
Explore more on these topics:
