The three mobile phone companies, Vodafone, O2 and Meteor, are to be called before an Oireachtas committee to address concerns over children being contacted by paedophiles through their mobile phones.
Yesterday, Mr Noel O'Flynn, chairman of the Oireachtas Committee on Communications, Marine and Natural Resources, said he would be writing to the three companies asking them to explore controls to protect children. He said mobile phone operators and Internet service providers should follow the lead of British companies by introducing new technology and PIN numbers on phones to prevent children from using online adult services. "The sale of camera phones to teenagers under 18 also needs reviewing," he said.
He was speaking after it emerged that a Cork teenager had been sent a pornographic lesbian picture on her mobile phone by a stranger. Gardaí in Douglas are investigating the case.
The girl's mother, Ms Nicky Stokes, told RTÉ yesterday that her daughter thought it was a prank at first, and rang the number. She said her daughter was shocked because she did not know why the message had been sent to her.
