A third of young children are interacting with strangers online.
A survey by Cyber Safe Ireland found 31% of kids aged between 8 and 12 game online with people they don't know in real life.
While 65% of kids aged between 8 and 12 are signed up to social media and message platforms.
Under laws introduced in 2018, a child under 16 isn't allowed to sign up to a social media site or game without parental consent.
Alex Cooney, the chief executive of Cyber Safe Ireland, says kids aren't sticking to that.
"I think we need to do a lot more to educate children and do more to prepare them for their online lives."
"We have to be realistic, many children are active online."
"So it's important we give them the guidance, support and direction they need.
"Especially when they're first starting out that online journey independently."
"I think we need to do more to support parents"
"So that they are aware of the responsibilities that come with their children being online."
It is completely unfathomable to further delay age verification protection for children onlinehttps://t.co/YGlPh90RFY
— CyberSafeKids (@CyberSafeKidsIE) September 8, 2020
Kids Under 16 Need Parent's Go Ahead To Sign Up
Alex says the country's minimum age restrictions aren't working.
"Digital Age of Consent is about when you're allowed sign up to an online platform like a social media site or a game without parental consent."
"It means that under the age of 16 they can only sign up with parental consent."
"But clearly the numbers are telling us that these restrictions are not working.
She adds that it's "...because all of the children that we surveyed are under the age of 13."
"We found that 65 percent of them had their own social media account."
