A recent study conducted by CyberSafeKids has revealed that 82% of primary school-aged children have unsupervised access to smart devices in their bedrooms
The research also found that 32% of children reported being upset or disturbed by something they encountered online in the past year.
However, only half of them confided in a trusted adult about their experience.
In discussions with survey respondents, many children admitted to sleeping with their phones under their pillows.
Clinical psychologist and UCD adjunct associate professor Dr. David Coleman highlighted concerns about the lack of awareness among parents regarding online dangers.
Speaking to Newstalk, he said that some parents are genuinely unaware of the risks, while others take a more negligent approach.
He pointed out that this negligence is usually unintentional and comes from a lack of understanding about the types of content children may come across, with exposure to inappropriate material such as pornography being a major concern.
According to Dr. Coleman, allowing a child unsupervised access to the internet is equivalent to granting strangers direct access to them.
As a general guideline, Dr. Coleman strongly advised against giving primary school-aged children smartphones.
He suggested that if parents need to contact their child for practical reasons, such as walking home from school, a basic flip phone would be a better alternative.
He also stressed that children should never have internet-enabled devices in their bedrooms, regardless of the time of day.
Instead, he recommended that all online activity take place in shared, public areas of the home.
Beyond limiting access to devices, Dr. Coleman emphasised the importance of open, non-judgmental conversations with children about their online experiences.
Encouraging a supportive dialogue, he explained, makes it more likely that children will seek help if they encounter distressing content.
