Niamh Smyth (Cavan-Monaghan, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I want to raise the issue of bullying in schools. Sadly, it is a feature of school life that students, teachers and parents face despite the Trojan efforts of pastoral teams, management and teachers in schools to address the scourge of bullying. Social media giants have played a huge part in inciting hate speech and have provided a continuous and relentless vehicle to allow bullying to continue on faceless accounts. TikTok, Snapchat, Facebook and Twitter have proven that self-regulation is no regulation.

As a Government, we are trying to introduce ground-breaking legislation to take charge of the platforms and ensure they operate differently here in Ireland, which would set a global precedent. Will the Tánaiste support the Minister, Deputy Catherine Martin, in bringing forward the online safety and media regulation Bill and ensure the 33 recommendations put forward by the joint Oireachtas committee are included, especially the individual complaint mechanisms and the take-down procedures, because every citizen in this country needs to be protected, particularly our young people?

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