HERE’s a news piece that caught my attention last week. The Irish government has appointed a director of the Office for Internet Safety to help make the Web a safer place, especially for the young.

HERE’s a news piece that caught my attention last week. The Irish government has appointed a director of the Office for Internet Safety to help make the Web a safer place, especially for the young.

John Laffan, who takes up his new role next month, would help to develop programmes and policies to address the threats and dangers online. I’m not sure if there have been similar high-profile appointments by other governments, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

According to a new survey, Irish children are increasingly being exposed to risks online because of the level of personal information they disclose over the Internet.

The Irish, as young as nine- to 16-year-olds, are among the highest in 21 European countries for giving out details such as their full names and e-mail addresses online, making them a potential target for sex predators and bullies.

Research in Ireland last year found 79 per cent of 10- to 20-year-olds gave out names or e-mail addresses online, putting them in the top three in Europe, with Poland and the Czech Republic.

Ireland is not alone. Online dangers have become a global issue.

In the United States, the New York State Senate has passed legislation intended to protect teenagers who use social networking sites from online predators. The Electronic Security and Targeting of Online Predators Act would require registered sex offenders to provide online aliases to state officials, who would share the identities with Web hangouts such as MySpace and Facebook.

The advent of the Internet is not only a boon, but also a bane. Children especially are seen as very vulnerable to the threats that loom in the lawless cyberspace. In the excitement of being able to communicate online, more so with the growing number of social networking sites, some end up revealing too much of their “profile” to strangers, who could be paedophiles in disguise who roam the Internet and trick children into trusting them. And the consequences can be serious.

With the Internet being made available in more homes and schools, more children could be exposed to the threat posed by online predators. These young souls need all the help and protection they can get against the risk of Internet exploitation and crime.

Efforts made by the Irish and New York State governments are exemplary to make Internet a safer place for children to learn, play and explore.