Yesterday, the High Court heard details of a deeply disturbing case of child abuse. A 13-year-old boy who abused his six-year-old sister was given a tablet at the age of five. There was no parental controls on the device and he had totally unsupervised access to the Internet. By the age of just six he was viewing pornography for hours every day. This boy ultimately uploaded child abuse images of his sister online, prompting his arrest. Sentencing the boy, Ms Justice Mary Ellen Ring likened unchecked Internet access to children playing with matches. Details of that shocking case were being heard as Australia introduced its social media ban for children under 16. It is a world first and we will all certainly be watching with huge interest to see how it progresses. However, I have a number of concerns about that kind of ban. For a start, most social media companies already have an age limit of 13 and we all know that just its not being enforced. Raising the age limit to 16 will similarly be easy to evade with teenagers creating fake accounts using virtual private networks, VPNs. Crucially, delaying access to social media sites does nothing about the recommender algorithms that are feeding children toxic content. We now have mountains of evidence about the threats posed by these algorithms. One study found teenage boys were being "bombarded" with misogynistic content within minutes of signing up to TikTok. Another study found 13-year-old users being shown videos about self harm and suicide within 20 minutes of setting up accounts. Social media platforms now routinely show graphic, violent or racist videos to people who are not looking for that content. This is not just having a hugely damaging impact on children but it is massively corrosive for society. It is spreading misinformation and hate through communities like wildfire. I will be the first to acknowledge this is a hugely complex issue and there are no easy solutions. In know the Minister is currently looking at age verification for social media users. While I think that is part of the solution, it amounts to putting a sticking plaster on a gaping wound. There are also huge privacy concerns about mandating something like a digital wallet to access services online. Each of us in this House knows we have to do more to protect children online. We know the current system is failing them. An obvious first step is to regulate the algorithms that boost extremist content to huge audiences online. By default, those systems should be off. Does the Taoiseach agree and will the Government act on this?

Sentiment score: -0.11

This is something governments across the world are grappling with and in many ways the horse has already bolted. Social media companies have been around for 20 years and they have never been properly regulated. To date, it has been self-regulation which has amounted to no regulation at all. Now we are playing catch up. One things is clear; the algorithms are increasingly dangerous. Violent, racist and misogynistic content is not just tolerated but it is literally boosted by these algorithms, making them go viral. I recognise there are loads of things in the Taoiseach's list of things the Government is looking at but none of them were the algorithms and a lot of them placed the responsibility on the user and on teaching the user about safety online. What we need to do, as a very first and obvious step, is address the algorithms. Will the Taoiseach reconsider, and will he look at this?

Sentiment score: 0.02

I am asking what the Taoiseach is doing.

Sentiment score: 0.00