Seán Sherlock (Cork East, Labour)
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We have the Digital Services Act and Coimisiún na Meán. The pronunciation depends on the part of the country one is from or what a person's dialect is. We have had very good engagement with the commission on online safety and the inherent risks for children. To be fair, the policing powers that are vested in it are significant. Hopefully, they will be used rigorously. Does the Ombudsman for Children interact with Coimisiún na Meán on the Digital Services Act and other legislation that has come down the track in terms of the protection of children? Do the witnesses sense that the big global companies that are operating in this space are – I am not trying to use loaded language – ticking boxes in regard to child safety and child protection? The reality is often different. There are always workarounds to get past protocols. There was a reference to that earlier. I would love for us to have a most rigid and rigorous regime when it comes to policing social media companies and protecting children. We have no idea what is coming down the line in regard to the harms that are befalling the children of today. We have no clue whatsoever. I do not want to paint a dystopian picture but, as a parent, I am very fearful about the effects. There is all the good that comes with social media but there is a hell of a lot of bad as well. To get to the point, has Dr. Muldoon had engagement with the commission on the role of the Ombudsman for Children and its role and whether there is some symbiosis between the two entities?