Seanad debates

Thursday, 6 December 2018

10:30 am

Photo of Joan FreemanJoan Freeman (Independent) | Oireachtas source

I was just going to explain it. I advise the Members of the proposed legislation, namely, the Children's Digital Safety Bill 2018, which seeks to fill a gap in regulations as regards access to unsafe online material, in particular content containing an encouragement and incitement to suicide and the encouragement of prolonged nutritional deprivation that would have the effect of exposing a child to risk to death or endangering health.

The reason I am so concerned about this is that although the good news is that we have seen a decrease in suicide among many of the cohorts of people in Ireland there has been an increase in young female teenage suicides. That is because they can, whether by accident or deliberately, have access to methods on how to take their life or how to starve themselves. That is causing me great concern. It is something the House should be addressing and legislating for.

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