Katherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent) | Oireachtas source

As Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, I want to acknowledge how important and how significant the Internet and the online world is for children in a really positive way, socially, educationally and developmentally, because I do not think we have mentioned that as much in this session as we are so concerned, and it is right that we are, to ensure that we provide the appropriate protections, whether in the context of the age we settle for and so on. At age 13, it is very significant for children, that is, the online world, the ways in which they can learn, having the right to access information and services and to freely express themselves. We need more protections and regulations. I was interested in the question in relation to companies which I think I referenced in my opening remarks. Above all, we need to get this right. We are determined to and are very appreciative of the engagement in that regard because of the positive importance and significance of the online world for our children and young people.