Today it has been announced that the Government intends to introduce age restrictions on social media. Most parents around the country will be in favour of that. I have spoken to many children around this and they have said they could do without social media if none of their peers had it. It is the fear of being left out that is the biggest issue for a lot of children in relation to this. I recognise that screens have radically changed childhood in the past ten years: from 24-hour bullying to unhealthy, passive physical inactivity; and from isolation and loneliness to violent pornographic content on their phones on a regular basis. Social media is made as addictive and sticky as possible, and even adults find it very difficult to handle social media. Aontú produced a Bill five years ago that sought to ban the provision of hardcore pornographic material to children. Hardcore pornography companies, some of which operate in this city as part of the Government’s foreign direct investment policy, are providing hardcore material to children. Children experts from all over the world are saying that consumption of hardcore pornographic material by children as young as ten is leading to an increase in sexual violence against women. Indeed, incidents of children sexually abusing other children have significantly increased in this country in recent years. The law, as it stands, is making victims and perpetrators out of children because we are not protecting children from this content. The Ana Kriégel case was one such horrific case. Ana was violently attacked, sexually assaulted and murdered in an abandoned house in Lucan in 2018 by two boys aged 13. An examination of Boy A’s phone revealed that there were 12,000 images on it, the vast majority of which were pornographic in nature. I will not mention some of that content because there are children in the Gallery. You would imagine that particular murder and sexual assault would have jolted the Government into action to protect children from this material, but since then there has been tumbleweed in relation to this material. When we launched our Bill, we got measured tones of shock from the Taoiseach and others, but we got no action on the issue at all. With all the talk of social media and the serious problems in that regard, there is a bigger problem about which there is no talk or action. In the context of our child protection laws, there are dozens of men on a regular basis before our courts who are found with thousands of images of children, abusive material, and videos and photographs of the most serious and explicit nature. On a monthly basis, these individuals get suspended sentences in this country. When it comes to the Government’s initiative in this regard, I am asking the Taoiseach for an holistic, coherent approach to all Internet content for the protection of children.
Sentiment score: -0.37
It was a stupid thing to do.
Sentiment score: -0.53
First, the Government’s approach to this is shockingly poor and one-dimensional. It does not cover all of the Internet threats to children at the moment. When it comes to the Government’s plan to create a digital ID, there is no real detail. It is not well thought out and there has been no consultation with stakeholders. I have heard some of the Taoiseach’s party colleagues mention a public service card maybe being at the heart of this. Given that the Government has already broken the law twice with a public service card, I do not think that is a logical idea. The idea that we would mandatorily collect facial biometric data from millions of citizens is an invasive thing in a liberal democracy. There will be significant push-back, I believe, if access to social media is dependent on every individual within society providing materials like passports, etc., to social media companies. For all the critics there are of social media, social media is a public good. I have a different suggestion, and that is to stop young people having smartphones. That is easier to regulate and provide under law. It would go some way in reducing access to the content about which we all have a concern in this Chamber.
Sentiment score: -0.06
I am offering a solution.
Sentiment score: 0.32
I also suggested an alternative.
Sentiment score: 0.00
No.
Sentiment score: -0.30
No. I opposed the spending of €9 million for it.
Sentiment score: -0.15
Teachers and parents were laughing at the idea.
Sentiment score: 0.49
Sixteen. I am saying the cut-off should be 16 years of age.
Sentiment score: 0.00
Yes. No problem.
Sentiment score: -0.10
Much easier.
Sentiment score: 0.42