More than 2,000 Irish schoolchildren have had their images stolen and misused by online porn sites, according to Child Watch.
It says the unsuspecting students - mostly teenage girls - have fallen victim to having their images abused.
The company, which promotes digital-based security for children, is addressing the National Association of School Principals and Deputy Principals today to help teachers educate children about sharing information online.
It says it had identified 270 teenage girls whose images had been abused, but estimated there were more than 2,000 unreported instances.
Childwatch founder Patrick McKenna has said time is of the essence when it comes to getting rid of a photo.
“The longer an image is online the more difficult it is to get it taken down, almost impossible after a certain point,” Mr McKenna said.
“Anecdotally I would say the first 24 to 48 hours you have a good chance if you pinpoint the website where an image has turned up, after that though, really, it is a lottery.”