Micheál Carrigy (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our guests. As has been stated, we are setting a global benchmark with this proposed legislation so it is important that we get it right. I welcome the companies' opening statements and commitments. I also welcome the financial support that Facebook is giving to the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, but I do not feel it is sufficient. Social media, as it evolves, influences the lives of young people in the country. In that context, the platforms need to take more responsibility and ensure they are a safe place for our teenagers. Last year, the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, brought forward legislation, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act, that is very welcome but tighter regulation and greater education from the platforms themselves is urgently required. It has a serious impact on the mental health of the younger generation, especially teenagers. Are the three companies willing to contribute to a national campaign, in conjunction with the Department of Education, across all schools immediately that will educate pupils about the threats and abuse that exist online and that will do so when they are at a young age? There is a responsibility on them, as companies that are making money from these platforms, to fund such a campaign.

I was disappointed with the comment about the open Internet. I do not believe we can have an open Internet, and that is the problem. There is a responsibility on the companies regarding the information on there. Take the newspapers or radio stations, any information or news they put out, they have the responsibility to stand over it being 100% factually correct. In recent months, even journalists who have had articles printed are there to be abused and threatened online, which shows that we, as a country, are going in a bad direction. There is a serious responsibility on the companies.

Senator Malcolm Byrne mentioned anonymous accounts. That is an issue we need to look at. As politicians, all of us are trolled by fake accounts every day of the week and abused and threatened whenever we put anything online. The companies have a responsibility to deal with that. One contributor mentioned a multi-account abuse policy. Will our guests explain this and how it is implemented?