Ruairi Quinn (Dublin South East, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Deputy for his comments and his interest in this area. Cyberbullying has become an enormous problem compared to what it used to be. First, it is no longer confined to the school because the electronic devices every young person has enables cyberbullying to continue 24-7. The consequence, accordingly, is that the young person who is bullied cannot escape from it at home. It is an emotional and psychological form of bullying.

We have tended to associate it more with females than males, while in the case of males it has tended to be far more physical. Either way it is a big problem. For this reason the working group was established following the conference or day seminar. I expect the report to be ready later this year with an action plan on what to do about bullying and how to mobilise support from a wide section in the school and education community, including the home, as well as help lines and a host of related things. Part of the issue is awareness. Cyber-bullying has become a recent phenomenon by virtue of the fact that every young person carries a smart telephone, which facilitates access in a way that was inconceivable five years ago. We must confront an old problem which is harnessing the wonders and facilities of modern technology and communications for evil and nasty purposes.

We must recognise the problem, recognise how wrong it is that bullying takes place and then come up with practical measures to prevent it.

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