Martin Kenny (Sligo-Leitrim, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Ms Farries mentioned the case of Dara Quigley, which goes to the heart of everything we are concerned with her. Those of us who followed that case saw how an agency of the State behaved in that manner and failed repeatedly. An Garda Síochána has appeared before this committee many times and we are always assured that everything is done properly and followed through, yet this case and others arise. It is a very appropriate warning that things are not right and that we need to acknowledge that.

I was going to follow up on my question about the Goliaths. If all those agencies were held to account, one of their arguments is that when they get this stuff up and it goes out there, they lose a certain amount of control. It is my view, and I wonder if it is shared, that if greater sanctions were in place, the companies could build it in to ensure they would have more control.

I certainly see that reflected in online content, which is often very intimidatory and bullying. When two groups in society identify online as opposites, they start arguing online and some of the dialogue becomes terribly intimidating and aggressive. This attracts an audience. I sometimes think that this is the social media companies' game. It is what they want. That also needs to be examined. Bullying is a very closely related issue. As others have said, this goes beyond what happens online. It concerns society at large. Mention has been made of a cultural problem. People behave much worse online than they would if they were in a room with each other. When they get used to behaving a certain way online, they start behaving the same way on the street or in a room with others. That is where it can lead.

It is almost a closed or fascistic mindset. It is about domination and refusing to have any civil discourse on anything. It is a case of them being right and all others being wrong. People form identity groups, which they can do very easily online. It is a way of enhancing their status. People come to think that nobody is as good as their group. Their view of themselves is so wonderful that anyone who says anything else is to be wiped out. This culture has developed considerably online and I now see it developing in society. Everyone can recognise this as very harmful. Should there be an obligation on the social media companies, which provide the space for this to happen, to warn against it? There should be legislation obliging them to give space on their sites to warning messages, just like we have legislation requiring labels on cigarettes to warn that they are dangerous. There should be a warning on social media-----