Ms Grainia Long:

First and foremost, it would have the power to set standards that industry providers would have to meet. This is the point that we have all reached, and everyone working and making money in this space needs to be meeting national standards. If something has been said online about a parent or young person and he or she would like that removed, he or she should be able to approach telecom companies or Internet providers under the auspices of those standards and demand that it be taken down. If the provider does not take it down or decides not to, the office would step in and investigate. This is an important point and has been the process in other jurisdictions. It would give the commissioner considerable power. The Office for Internet Safety does not have the ability to investigate and regulate, given that it is an advisory body. A digital safety commissioner's office would formalise the regulatory ability.

Dr. Geoffrey Shannon, the special rapporteur on child protection, mentioned in his last report the right to be forgotten. This issue has arisen. We agree with his view that people should have the right to be forgotten in terms of actions that they take as children. When people apply for their first job or a particular course years later, someone might Google them and find out about something that they did six or eight years ago. Dr. Shannon has recommended that the law be changed to enable the right to be forgotten. It is a good idea.

Regarding parents, I have mentioned the need for a national campaign. The Taoiseach is on record as saying that we need to have a national conversation about pornography. We welcomed that statement, but the conversation cannot be discretionary. Too many schools can choose what they teach children when it comes to sex education and safety. We are failing children by not having a national vision of what should be explained to children at the right age. Many experts could do this well. We are starting to see the impact of not having done this ten years ago, in that children are making the wrong decisions online or are unaware of what decisions they are taking.

I will revert to the question of the two 14 year old girls, one of whom made the right decision and the other who made the wrong decision. Who are we failing and why is one person not making the right decision?

I apologise, as I cannot remember who asked about research, but it is an emerging area. Interestingly, Irish universities are leading the way in the field of cyberpsychology, that is, understanding online behaviour and how it affects our psychology. Dublin City University has a good department, so it may be worth inviting those involved to tell the committee about cyberpsychology. The Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dún Laoghaire has a department of cyberpsychology. There is a growing field of experts and academics. I am sure that there are others, but those are the two that come to mind. There have been good studies.

Someone asked about push-back from industry. On Monday, I was in London chatting with the NSPCC about this matter and Brexit. Ironically, the two issues are starting to come together. Predators do not recognise borders and will use technology to work around them to get to children. It is important that Ireland not lag behind other countries. While the industry will have its own views and elements of it will be sceptical or progressive, it will need to come to the party because this is happening. The UK has made good strides in terms of changing the law. The Digital Economy Bill, which is going through the House of Commons, will begin regulating the industry in new ways. The communications committee of the House of Lords is about to complete an inquiry into children and the Internet. This is happening in other jurisdictions. The same bodies will work in London and Dublin. Unfortunately, so will people who want to access children.

Ireland can show leadership. Many tech and telecom companies base themselves in Dublin and other cities. I am happy to chat with committee members at any point about our concerns over the UK's exit, but we are really concerned that Brexit will undermine some of our ability to detect and prosecute child sex abuse and exploitation. That discussion may be for another day.