Ms Rachel O'Connor:

In terms of Oide, there is the digital technology section. Webwise is a Department of education programme as well. Schools are currently so consumed by the introduction of digital technologies and how they complement the curriculum that perhaps the focus is not on the social media aspect and the impact in our schools. What we are witnessing in our schools is a demonstration of collective exposure to harm. We can put in place all the interventions and programmes and supports in our schools, but the companies that are getting bang for their buck are not held accountable. Every day I could field up to ten or 15 calls from principals and deputy principals about the harm being caused in schools and across all social media platforms. What I witness personally and professionally every single day is an absolute inconsistency across moderators and across platforms. Who is defining what harm looks like? What might not be harmful to Deputy Connolly might be incredibly harmful to another person. We are a trusted flagger on one particular platform. It is still not enough. You do not know whether you will be dealing with a bot or a human, and then there is the definition of harm that happens within our schools. There are things there, but it comes back to accountability of the social media companies. As my ASTI colleagues said, in terms of that expert support for schools, we have engaged RiskEye, mitigation experts and specialists who are working 24-7 to support us. We get a call across any social media platform, about any issue, and we have mitigation experts, people who have worked in and with these platforms, who can provide support and who can report on behalf of school leaders and children.