Over 2,000 Irish school children 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 a National Association of School Principals and Deputy Principals conference today, to help teachers educate children about sharing information online.

It says it has identified 270 teenage girls whose images have been abused, but estimates that there are over 2,000 unreported instances.

Pat McKenna of Child Watch said: "Personal information and images of unsuspecting young Irish girls are being uploaded by users of online pornography to sites without their permission and with no regard for their privacy, personal safety, reputation and psychological well-being."

"For instance, a personal photo is copied from a social network profile and appears on a porn site or similar, unknown to the person direct."

School leaders will spend time discussing what schools can do to protect students.

Child Watch is an Irish technology company promoting digital-based security and privacy for children.