Alex Cooney, chief executive of CyberSafeKids, said, "Blanket bans, like in the case of Australia, are excessive."

Last September, CyberSafeKids published a report revealing that 65% of children aged eight to 12 in Ireland had been contacted by a stranger online.

28 per cent of the children surveyed reported that they could go online whenever they wanted.

The study, which surveyed 522 parents across the country, also found that 42 per cent of parents provide their children with a phone earlier than they would like

Some 45% of 10-year-olds are allowed to use their smartphones in their bedrooms.

A 14-year-old girl in Co Clare is understood to have died after inhaling an aerosol substance