Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 February 2014
151. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources his plans to introduce new laws to deal with online abuse on social media sites; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [8861/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere is no doubt that the pervasive use of social media has challenged a wide number of previously accepted norms, both in terms of media governance and in more general societal terms. To that end, I have asked the Internet Content Governance Advisory (ICGA) Group which I formed in December, to evaluate the full range of content issues that now arise online. The Group will report in May and Government will consider that report in great detail at that stage. A public consultation is now open, and submissions from all interested parties are welcome. I am aware also that the Group expect to meet with all key stakeholders as part of their work in the coming weeks.
Our most immediate and important task now is to help educate children, young people and parents as to the risks that can be found online, to support parents and teachers in explaining these issues to children and to identify the optimal technical solution to protect children. In this regard, there are a range of tools available online to assist parents in managing internet access. The ISPs themselves have a variety of measures and resources already in place, with software and other tools available to help parents ensure online safety for their children.
The issues here are complex and delicate; a balance has to be struck between preserving freedom of speech and freedom of expression online, and protecting children and young people in particular from content that may well be age inappropriate or harmful. Social media and online content in general are not subject to the same types of editorial restrictions as broadcast media, for example, and questions as to the most appropriate governance model are being asked by governments and civil society groups around the world. There are no simple answers to these questions but I am confident that the ICGA Group will evaluate all of these issues thoroughly and in detail, and I look forward to their report and recommendations with great interest.
