Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 1 May 2012
498 Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to deal with the threat to our young persons of cyber bullying; if there are plans in place, or being put in place, to deal with this growing social problem which has a very detrimental effect on our younger population who rely on this new technology constantly when communicating with their friends; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21483/12]
Amharc ar fhreagraI agree wholeheartedly with the Deputy about the importance of tackling cyberbullying. I am pleased to say my Department is playing an active role in the effort to defeat the phenomenon but I recognise that it is a difficult issue to address effectively. That however, will not deter us in our efforts to counteract it and to assist children, their parents and teachers in dealing with it and in recovering from it. I will outline several of the initiatives and projects currently in place to assist those who are confronted with the problem, but at the outset, I want to stress that anyone having difficulties with internet content should, in the first instance, direct their remarks or complaint to the service provider.
As regards measures in place, I want to begin with the Safer Social Networking Principles for the EU because it is so important to have full engagement by service providers. The Principles were adopted on a voluntary basis in 2009 by the major social networking website operators based on an initiative from the EU Commission. They provide good practice recommendations for social networking providers to enhance the safety of children and young people using these services. In particular, they provide that social networking services should provide a mechanism for reporting inappropriate content, respond to notifications of illegal or inappropriate content or conduct and should review their systems for examining and responding to such reports. The EU Commission monitors the implementation of the Principles on an ongoing basis.
Turning now to more specific initiatives, I want to outline the variety of activities supported by the Safer Internet Ireland (SII) project. It is funded by the EU's Safer Internet Programme and draws together the National Centre for Technology in Education (NCTE), ISPCC Childline, the National Parents Council (Primary) and the Internet Service Providers Association of Ireland in providing Safer Internet awareness, hotline and helpline functions. The project is coordinated by my Department's Office for Internet Safety (OIS). Each of the partners in the SII project performs a specific function. The NCTE, an Agency of the Department of Education and Skills, manages the Webwise initiative (www.webwise.ie) which is the Irish Internet Safety Awareness Centre. Webwise provides parents, teachers and children with educational resources, advice and information about potential dangers on the internet and enables users to minimise or avoid these risks.
The NCTE also operates the www.watchyourspace.ie website. It provides advice for young people on how to manage their online activities so as to avoid problems. ISPCC’s Childline service receives funding from the project to support it in responding to young people who may have encountered difficulties in their use of the internet and other technologies, including cyberbullying. The project also provides funding to the National Parents Council (Primary) for a national confidential helpline providing information and support for parents if their children encounter issues on the internet, particularly cyberbullying. The NPC also delivers internet safety workshops for parents in schools nationwide. These workshops focus on strategies for improving communication between parents and children and negotiating boundaries to children’s internet use.
The annual Safer Internet Day has become an important occasion. It is part of a global drive to promote safer and more responsible use of online technology and mobile phones, especially amongst children and young people. The Day is supported by the EU and has been marked since 2004 in a growing number of countries. Safer Internet Day 2012 took place on Tuesday 7 February with the theme “Connecting generations and educating each other”. Users, young and old, were encouraged to “discover the digital world together...safely”! The Webwise Primary School Programme was launched by my colleague, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs on Safer Internet Day 2012. This is a programme developed by Webwise and Stay Safe for primary school teachers who wish to introduce internet safety into their teaching of the Social, Personal and Health Education curriculum.
The Garda Primary Schools Programme makes a very important contribution. Introduced in 1991, it teaches children sensible and responsible patterns of behaviour. To mark Safer Internet Day 2012, a new module of the Programme entitled "Respectful Online Communication" was launched. It is targeted at 5th class children in primary schools and aims to address the social media element of the personal safety module of the Programme. It recognises the challenges that children and young people face in modern society, particularly when using new technologies. It aims not only to protect our children from predators or bullies but also to foster a sense of care and respect by them for others when online or when using mobile phones. Gardaí are presenting the module in primary schools throughout the country.
Finally, I want to recognise the contribution of almost 200 industry volunteers from Microsoft Ireland, UPC and O2 who, working with the NCTE's Webwise, gave internet safety presentations to over 15,000 pupils in schools across the country for Safer Internet Day 2012. The interactive presentations were given to children in senior primary classes — in 4th, 5th and 6th class. Pupils who attended Safer Internet Day Talk were given a Family eSafety Kit produced by UPC and Webwise. The pack contains a variety of fun activities and stickers as well as a Parents' Guide. I can assure the Deputy that I will continue to work with our partners in the SII project, the industry and our EU partners to protect and to enhance the projects and initiatives already underway and to develop new responses where possible.
