To commemorate Safer Internet Day, Amárach, on behalf of CyberSafeKids, a foundation that promotes internet safety, has launched the survey.

The study, which polled 900 parents of kids between the ages of 5 and 17, revealed that 45% of kids in their tens can use smartphones in their bedrooms and that over 50% of parents don't think they are adequately prepared to teach their kids how to be safe online.

According to a fifth of parents polled, social media and the internet have more positive effects on kids than negative ones.

More than 25% of parents said they were extremely concerned about their children being groomed online, being the target of cyberbullying, and having access to porn.

Parents also expressed worry about their children accessing upsetting material on self-harm and becoming dependent on social media.

Of the parents surveyed, 21% claimed that their child had been intentionally left out of a group chat or online event, and 18% claimed that their child had been called derogatory names.

The 'Same Rules Apply' parental campaign, being launched by CyberSafeKids, emphasises the importance of approaching online parenting in the same manner as offline parenting and stresses that the same rules should apply in both domains.

As stated by CyberSafeKids Chief Executive Alex Cooney, "it's alarming to find that children as young as five are being allowed to use smartphones alone in their bedroom."

"Our 'Same Rules Apply' campaign seeks to support parents in approaching children’s online lives with the same care, attention and supervision that we apply to their offline lives," added Ms Cooney.