'Not necessary' for primary school children to have smartphones says education minister

Minister for Education Norma Foley has called on parents to "deny" children in primary schools access to smart phones.

"It is not necessary for [primary school children] to have access to a mobile phone," she stated, calling on parents to deny "in the short term" their children's access to smart phones in particular.

Minister Foley made these comment on Morning Ireland on Tuesday, April 2, after she shared figures from Coimisiún na Meán showing a "a sharp rise in self generated compromising images" among children aged seven to 10 years old at the INTO conference on Monday.

"More and more we're seeing that young children are being exposed to content that nobody would want them to be exposed to," she continued.

"The evidence that's provided and the information that's provided by Coimisiún na Meán and others is quite startling, quite frightening."

She said her department were choosing to "be proactive in this space" and would engage with parents groups in particular to saying that she would support and work with them to "offer moral support but ultimately this decision towards rest with parents".