Tech expert to speak on child safety at papal event

CYBER-SECURITY expert Dr Mary Aiken is to speak about children’s safety in relation to smartphones and other technology at the World Meeting of Families.

Children using smartphones and internet safety will be at the heart of the World Meeting of Families.

Parents attending the World Meeting of Families in Dublin’s RDS when Pope Francis visits in August will be able to attend workshops about children’s use of smartphones, iPads and gaming and how these affect the family.

And Dr Aiken will be among the speakers at the event who will address the guests about safety in the digital age and the challenges smartphones and other devices are creating for families.

Campaigners here won a historic victory in May in the battle to protect children online, with the Dáil setting the digital age of consent at 16 against the wishes of the Government.

The campaign to set the digital age of consent at 16 rather than 13 was led by internationally renowned Irish academics Dr Aiken and Professor Barry O’Sullivan – and championed by the Irish Daily Mail as part of our ‘Protect Our Kids Online’ initiative.