Jan O'Sullivan (Limerick City, Labour)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

I will follow up on the last point. The ISPCC has recommended the establishment of the office of a digital safety commissioner and a policy and regulatory framework in its documentation. The three witnesses have painted a worrying picture but they said there are solutions. What should we do? One measure is to educate children and parents. We need to provide solidarity for parents because children will say, "Mary is allowed to do this. Why don't you let me? Mary takes her phone to bed. Why can't I?" We must convey the message that it is right for parents to advise their child that he or she needs a night's sleep and not to take a phone to his or her bedroom. The hard aspect is discerning what is illegal, what is damaging but is not illegal and identifying them. We need to reach that point. We have begun to identify elements. I attended a conference on the subject. The ISPCC has highlighted the issue, which is important. The next step is to decide what to do and deal with the problem. The ISPCC has suggested a digital safety commissioner. Perhaps that is the way to go. A dedicated office would provide a place for children, parents and everybody else to go and a commissioner would ensure something is done.

Technology keeps evolving. How does one control cybersecurity? How does one legally deal with the issues? It was noted in the presentation that apps like Snapchat and WhatsApp, etc., can be manipulated. I mean one child can change something that another child has typed in earlier in the chat.