Denise Mitchell (Dublin Bay North, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Labour Party for this good Bill. When it comes to the matter of harmful communications and digital safety, we are falling far behind. In recent weeks, numerous cases have been before the courts involving young children who have been exploited online by predators. We have seen many other cases in which people have been blackmailed with the threat of intimate images being distributed to their friends and families.

Since this is an issue that the Committee on Children and Youth Affairs has been busy examining, I welcome the Dáil's focus on it today. Despite the work being done by the Garda, there is frustration among the public who fear that not enough is being done. While we must ensure that legislation is in place, we also need to make sure that the Garda has adequate resources to tackle this serious problem. The LRC has called for an office of a digital safety commissioner and my colleague, Deputy Ó Laoghaire, has a Bill to that effect, so I hope that the Government supports it.

No Deputy is suggesting that we become a nanny state. While we should be focusing on engaging with social media companies and enforcing take-down requests, the protection of children must be the top priority. We need to foster a culture of responsible Internet usage among the public, particularly young people, educate people about how to use digital resources, apps and social media in an appropriate way and ensure that they are aware of potential dangers. I am happy to support this Bill.

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