Michael McCarthy (Cork South West, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Ceann Comhairle's office for allowing me to raise this issue, which I was prompted to do by the tragic events of recent weeks. Any future action in this area is already too late for the two young teenagers who were victims, in the true sense of that word, of horrifying instances of cyberbullying. There is hardly a Member of this House who does not have some type of presence on social media, whether Twitter, Facebook or otherwise. Many teenagers have almost unlimited access to the Internet and spend a great deal of time on it every day. Social media sites are a substantial component of many young people's social interactions.

For the second time in six weeks, we have seen the death by suicide of a teenager as a consequence of the distress caused to them by cyberbullying. The devastation of these deaths for their parents and wider family, friends and communities is absolutely unfathomable. We as legislators can no longer stand idly by and protest that the Internet cannot be policed and we cannot do X or Y. The time has come to address the issue with the urgency and sensitivity it requires. We must look at ways of getting around the difficulties that present in tackling this issue. It is incumbent on this Legislature to fulfil its duty to the citizens of our Republic to protect young people and safeguard their self-esteem and mental health.

There must be explicit legislation in this area. I accept that it is impossible to eliminate this type of activity entirely - we must be practical and realistic - but there is an onus on us to put measures in place that will at least begin the fight-back against this absolutely appalling and despicable activity. The popularity of social media websites has boomed in recent years in this country, an unfortunate consequence being that the prevalence of cyberbullying has likewise increased. The frightening reality of cyberbullying was documented by the anti-bullying centre at Trinity College Dublin earlier this year, with survey results showing that one in four girls and one in six boys have experienced cyberbullying, either as a victim or a perpetrator. These are very harsh statistics. Unlike traditional schoolyard bullying where individuals squared off against each other, the perpetrators of cyberbullying are usually anonymous, which can reduce the empathy felt towards the victim and removes many of the traditional restraints on bullying behaviour. Cyberbullying is 24-7 by nature, persisting long after the child has left the schoolyard.

Laws specifically designed to protect victims of cyberbullying and stalking now exist in the United Kingdom and the United States. It is entirely possible to offer some limited protection under, for example, the Offences Against the Person Act.

However, it is now clear that this is insufficient and we have to go the extra mile. A new defamation bill is currently being dealt with in the House of Commons and represents a radical reform of the libel laws in that country. It contains a provision that legally compels Internet service providers to reveal the identity of those who post abusive and defamatory online messages. In return, Internet service providers will be given greater protection from being sued if they help to identify cyber bullies.

The State plans to build a new national children's hospital and, this Saturday, citizens will vote on a constitutional referendum on children's rights. This is the next logical step and there is both an urgency and necessity around this issue.

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