The Minister for Children has refused to rule out the possibility of legislation to control child pornography on the Internet.
Mr Brian Lenihan was speaking this morning as he launched the first report of the Internet Advisory Board, a Government established body which brings together the Internet industry, legal expertise, the Garda and child protection interests.
Noting the results of a survey on Internet usage by Irish schoolchildren, Mr Lenihan said the number who say they are not allowed to talk to strangers in Internet chat rooms, at 46 per cent, is "disturbingly low".
And he said he could not rule out Government legislation to control images of child pornography on the Internet, although he noted the difficulties in doing so.
The Internet industry here has favoured a system of self-regulation and the IAB is currently reviewing its code of practice and ethics. The minister said he looked forward to the outcome of this review.
The minister said the most important issue surrounding Internet usage was vigilance.
"This is a marvellous technology. But of course it multiplies the opportunities for abuse," he said. He noted that the publication of child pornography and such images in the United States is constitutionally protected and that this was "a great danger".
Welcoming the work of the board and other agencies, the minister said it was possible for various interests to work together to prevent risk to children.
The Internet had created a "permanent revolution" in how we do our business, but it had flaws.
Mr Lenihan noted the "terrible, obscene and degrading" material online and said we must ensure our children were not exposed to it.
"No government can ever rule out legal regulation in that area. We have not introduced it, but we cannot rule it out. We have to work in every way possible to eliminate the distribution of this type of material."
The minister said there was a very high level of internet penetration in Ireland compared to other countries so there was no room for complacency.
Most parents were conscious of the need to protect their children from physical dangers, including traffic. But there seemed to be a "huge gap" in awareness in terms of internet technology, Mr Lenihan said. He said there was a clear need to advise people about it, possibly including at the point-of-sale for computer technology.
Mr Lenihan told reporters he hoped to undertake an initiative to raise awareness of child pornography next year during Ireland's presidency of the EU but could not give further details.
The internet research, carried out by National Centre for Technology in Education as part of an EU project also found 67 per cent of parents check in on their children while they surf the internet. Some 70 per cent of Irish children say it is a rule in their home not to give out personal information.
A total of 83 per cent of the children surveyed said they had heard the internet safety guideline never to give out their home addresses online.