Emer Higgins (Dublin Mid West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I am pleased the Minister has established this advisory group and that it has such a tight timeframe, 90 days, in which to report back. It is a very complex area, as we know. We need to make sure there is a path through which to escalate individual complaints. I appreciate that this would involve a large population because of so many companies having their EU headquarters here. If there are any legal ways around that, we need to explore them. I also acknowledge the work of the Minister for Justice, Deputy McEntee, in this area with regard to making sure that Coco's Law came into effect. As legislators, we have a great responsibility to ensure the safety of our young people online, but the social media companies share that responsibility. Anonymous accounts and pile-ons can do a lot of damage to people's confidence and mental health. We need to acknowledge that. The fact that, as the Minister has said, so many social media companies are headquartered here in Ireland and, indeed, here in Dublin gives us the opportunity to become world leaders in this area. I ask the social media companies to step up to the mark.

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