Malcolm Byrne (Wicklow-Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister for taking this debate and for his personal interest in this important subject. As legislators, we can have no greater responsibility than ensuring the safety of our citizens in both the offline and the online world, and particular those who are vulnerable, especially children and young people. It is critical that we get the balance right between regulation and education. It cannot only be about regulation. It has to be about ensuring that we equip children, young people and parents to be able to navigate the online world.

I welcome the fact the Minister is looking at the concept of extending personal liability to those who knowingly and willfully allow harmful content appear on platforms. This was something former Senator Shane Cassells and I raised with the Minister's predecessor when the Online Safety and Media Regulation Act 2022 was being debated in these Houses. While the then Minister, Catherine Martin, was sympathetic to our position, unfortunately others in government were not. It is something that was deeply concerning because they argued that it could have an impact on the number of tech jobs that are based here. I do not think that it is a difficulty. I have looked, for instance, at how Germany regulates particularly harmful speech. There are examples that can be drawn from there but I welcome the fact the Minister is now considering this issue.

As part of that legislation, as the Minister will be aware, we established the Office of the Online Safety Commissioner. I praise Niamh Hodnett in her work to date, both in communicating the work and in getting the online safety codes, etc., up and running. It is a new space and they have done a good job. A critical part of that, which we built into the legislation, was the establishment of a youth advisory panel. In this debate, I would encourage, as others have, that the voices of children and young people are heard. We would do well to listen to the youth advisory panel of Coimisiún na Meán and the Ombudsman for Children. Interestingly, the youth advisory panel of Coimisiún na Meán has recommended against a social media ban for those under the age of 16. Hearing their perspectives on it is important.

My final point is with regard to artificial intelligence. While AI can be used to tackle harmful content, we know about the problems of AI in terms of them fuelling deepfakes and making it far easier for those who want to misuse social media and the digital space. It is critical in our discussions in this space that is also addressed.

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