Ms Alex Cooney:

I thank the Deputy for the questions. Yes, we have engaged with the Department of Education. We have been recommending for a number of years that education on digital media literacy and online safety be made a more core topic in schools. It is currently a peripheral topic covered within the curriculum but it is absolutely not given core focus and teachers are not being routinely and adequately trained on this topic either.

It is certainly a significant issue facing schools. We have raised these issues. I met with the Minister for Education last summer and we spoke about the programme we are delivering in schools. There has been a lot of talk about a ban on smartphones in schools and the move that some school communities have made to reach out to parents and agree that there will be a holding off on smart devices but it should really come down to education. Education will focus on equipping children to be able to navigate these online environments, to be wary of the content they are coming across and to question the content and people they come across online. This is so important. These are skills we need to instil in children and we need to work with parents and teachers. We have raised these issues and sought funding from the Department of Education because we are very underfunded as an organisation. We do not receive State funding and have, unfortunately, been told that there is no funding at the moment and there is not a focus on making it a central part of the curriculum. I hope this will change because we feel that once this is done and parents feel equipped through resources and awareness campaigns, there will be no need for an organisation like Cybersafe Kids. We are working towards a time when, hopefully, we will not be needed and it will be well covered within the system.