Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

As I said, this is an extremely difficult space to try to manage and monitor, particularly where there is a grey area as regards what is harmful and what is not or what is a criminal offence and what is not, although the latter should be much clearer. What is really important is that we do not just come at this from an enforcement point of view but that the social media companies take a proactive role in making sure the standards that they set for their online communities are met and that they are being proactive in enforcing those. Again, this is where Coimisiún na Meán has an important role in making sure these companies are held to account. The time for self-regulation is coming to an end. As a country, we are showing leadership in this regard. The coimisiún is the first body of its kind to be established in the European Union and other jurisdictions are looking to Ireland to see how this is managed. Obviously, a number of these companies are located here so we are best placed to be able to engage directly with them but it is important to note that the companies themselves clearly have a role to play in making sure they fulfil, live up to and enforce their own safety standards for their users.

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