Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees
Thursday, 26 June 2025
Committee on Children and Equality
Engagement with Office of the Ombudsman for Children
2:00 am
Keira Keogh (Mayo, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context
Dr. Keilthy mentioned the recommender systems and Dr. Muldoon referenced accountability. Going back to the topic of pornography, while we are not teenagers anymore, but we all know that teenagers are getting around it. They are using "seggs", instead of using the word "sex". They are finding content by using aubergine emojis and things like that. If we know that, the social media companies know that as well. Accountability is huge.
I have another question. I can already see the keyboard warriors on Twitter coming for me after this. We hear time and time again this narrative, especially online, that foreigners are coming into the country, they are getting everything and everything thing is for free. Let me clear before I continue: I know our immigration system is not where it needs be. It needs to be fair and firm. People who should not be here should be removed but this notion that foreigners are getting everything is so stark when Ms Ward mentioned mould, dirt and no access to a kitchen. I am a new TD. I am six months on the job. I have had one refugee in from an International Protection Accommodation Service, IPAS, centre so far. She had two requests. First, she would like to be able to cook a meal for her children. Second, she is trying to work every hour that she can, and she would like to be able to bring in her friend, who is now citizen here, to babysit her kids. They are not allowed to bring anybody into the IPAS centre. They are two small requests. What complaints is the Ombudsman for Children receiving from that setting?