Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I echo what Deputy Howlin stated earlier. Today, reports online, on every radio station and in every newspaper are about how easy it is for children and teenagers to access pornography. Many parents are wondering how best to protect our children and while no one can protect them 100%, it is certainly time the legislators caught up and addressed this issue. The Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs and the Joint Committee on Communications, Climate Action and Environment have discussed this matter and made recommendations. The Law Reform Commission made a recommendation to the effect that an office of a digital safety commissioner, specifically to deal with many of these issues, should be established. The Government has dragged its feet and the Taoiseach was very reluctant initially about the proposal for a digital safety commissioner. In the context of what he said earlier and the commitments that have been made, has the Government given consideration to establishing an office of a digital safety commissioner in advance of the legislation in order to get going on this issue? That is critical. What is going on is appalling. No one ever envisaged this type of total access to content for children of such a young age.

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