7 November 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
Politics
The Minister with responsibility for Mental Health Jim Daly has today returned to his old classroom to help schools and parents to keep children safe online.
Recent picture of Jim Daly TD (right) taken last week in West Cork at another event.
Picture: David Keane
The former school principal and now Minister of State at the Department of Health visited the National school he attended in Drinagh over 30 years ago to launch an initiative that will see every primary school in his constituency receive a free iKydz device which protects children from harmful websites as well as regulating the amount of time they spend online.
The Minister who previously published heads of a bill to regulate the sale of internet devices to minors also announced a series of public meetings across West Cork in the coming months to assist parents in protecting their children while using the Internet.
Speaking at the launch Minister Jim Daly reminisced on his own school days when internet safety was not on the agenda but noted the increasing difficulties associated with internet usage by younger people. “The World Wide Web presents amazing opportunities but also some increasing threats as the world gets smaller but the web gets wider and wilder and so we must up our game when it comes to protecting our children when online.” stated Minister Jim Daly who went on to acknowledge the enormous assistance the iKydz team offers to parents struggling to keep up with Internet safety techniques.
“I am delighted to promote iKydz and their safety products, they are a company dedicated to the well-being of our children as they explore and discover more amazing experiences while online. Health and safety must be a factor in any journey” concluded Minister Daly.
CEO of iKydz, John Molloy, commended Minister Daly on his proactive approach to internet safety, “iKydz was started with the goal of making it easy for parents to protect their kids online. We provide a really simple, easy-to-use solution for parents who want to limit their kids’ exposure to inappropriate content or just want to manage the amount of time that their kids spend online. We are delighted to team up with Minister Daly and to provide iKydz to each and every primary school in West Cork.’
