Alan Farrell (Dublin Fingal, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome everybody to the meeting, including guests in the Visitors Gallery and people watching the meeting on Oireachtas TV. We are joined by Ms Lauren Reynolds, Ms Muireann Whelan, Ms Serena Devereux and Ms Isabel Seacy from Newbridge College and Ms Tara Trevaskis Hoskin, Ms Jade O'Hagan, Ms Jody Whelan and Mr. Fearghal Burke from Wicklow and Clare Comhairle na nÓg. I thank them for attending the meeting this morning. The committee is very interested in hearing the views of young people and we are grateful to you for not only accepting our invitation but also making yourselves available and coming here from various places. It is important to note how significant your role is in our hearings on cybersafety in general. Heretofore we have met with representatives of Snapchat, we have received contributions from Facebook and a submission from Snap Inc. and we have had conversations with people from academia, among others. Now it is important to hear from the users of these services about their experience, and I hope you can inform us on how improvements could be made. I do not want you to feel this environment is too formal. Feel free to make a contribution and let me know if you wish to contribute. It is not quite a lámha suas but make sure you get my attention and I will call you. However, I am required to read a formal notice, so you can tune out for this bit.

Before we commence and in accordance with procedure I am required to draw attention to the fact that by virtue of section 17(2)(l) of the Defamation Act 2009, witnesses are protected by absolute privilege in respect of their evidence to this committee. However, if you are directed by the committee to cease giving evidence on a particular matter and you continue to so do, you are entitled thereafter only to a qualified privilege in respect of your evidence. You are directed that only evidence connected with the subject matter of these proceedings is to be given and you are asked to respect the parliamentary practice to the effect that, where possible, you should not criticise or make charges against any person, persons or entity by name or in such a way as to make him or her identifiable.

Members are reminded of the long-standing parliamentary practice to the effect that they should not comment on, criticise or make charges against a person outside the House or an official either by name or in such a way as to make him, her or it identifiable.

I ask everybody in the room to switch off their mobile telephones. Mute is not sufficient so turn them off or put them into flight mode. Otherwise it will affect our proceedings and your counterparts in Newbridge, Wicklow and Clare will be unable to hear you on television. I wish to advise you that any submissions or opening statements submitted to the committee will be published on the committee website after the meeting has concluded. The witnesses will make a short presentation, followed by questions from members of the committee. I invite Ms Reynolds to commence.