Ms Saoirse Brady:

I will deal with that. The tech companies have a responsibility to address many of these issues. They have put in place some measures to deal with them but much more needs to be done. I mentioned the online safety and media regulation Bill that is going through and the role for the online safety commissioner. That is key to this issue. We need to ensure they have robust powers to deal with what is happening in respect of tech companies, and those companies have a responsibility to examine the way they design their platforms, particularly being mindful of children and young people. The Council of Europe has issued a recommendation on the rights of children in the digital age, which has much useful information on how to address some of these issues. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child released a general comment in March on consideration of some of the issues arising for children and young people in the digital age. The UN convention was signed in 1989. The Internet was only in its infancy then. The convention did not deal with all the issues children and young people deal with today. Both of those elements are informed by experts in the field as well as children and young people who have had to deal with some of these issues. They point to ways in which tech companies can design better platforms for children and young people and ensure that they are better protected. The online safety commissioner is the other key to this and having that in place here to ensure that tech companies must be held accountable.

Another element is an individual complaints mechanism, to which Mr. Arneill alluded, but the Bill does not deal with that. A super complaints mechanism that would go through non-governmental organisations is not good enough. We need to ensure fair procedures are followed to ensure there is some mechanism for individuals, particularly children and young people, to complain about tech companies where they have not addressed their issues. Those are some elements that could help with this issue. The Deputy is correct about pushing back on some of the issues tech companies say they have addressed. I do not think that they have fully addressed them.