Written answers

Tuesday, 28 March 2017

Department of Children and Youth Affairs

Internet Safety

Photo of Mattie McGrathMattie McGrath (Tipperary, Independent)
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36. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the details of the measures her Department is taking to combat cyber blackmailing, cyber bullying and other forms of online abuse directed at children or carried out by children on other children; the details of any data on the prevalence of reported cases of these activities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14776/17]

Photo of Katherine ZapponeKatherine Zappone (Dublin South West, Independent)
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Online abuse in its various forms, as described by the Deputy presents serious and complex issues, exacerbated by the rate at which technology continues to develop. In its recent appearance before the Joint Committee on Children and Youth Affairs, the ISPCC outlined and discussed with the Committee a number of concerns about online habits and how young people interact with each other using modern technologies.

My Department does not have a lead responsibility in this area and, accordingly, does not have specific measures to combat these issues. However, my Department plays a supporting role in a wider range of actions across a number of Departments seeking to address online abuse.

The implementation of the Children First Act 2015 and the ongoing role of the Interdepartmental Committee established by that Act, and chaired by my Department, will ensure that the child welfare and protection systems will be robust and responsive to any needs arising from such abuses.

The National Youth Health Programme is a partnership between the HSE, the National Youth Council of Ireland and my Department. The programme's aims are to provide a broad based, flexible health promotion/education support and training service, to youth organisations and to all those working with young people in out-of-school settings. The ‘Web Safety in Youth Work’ resource, available on the National Youth Council’s website, provides valuable advice to young people on reporting online behaviour and on passing on concerns about the protection and welfare of a child or young person.

Combatting online child grooming is a matter for my colleague the Minister for Justice and Equality, and is addressed as part of a wide-ranging package of measures aimed at the reform of Ireland’s criminal law on sexual offences, set out in the Criminal Law (Sexual Offences) Act, 2017.

The saferinternetireland.iewebsite has a range of resources aimed at parents and their children, including a recent ‘Family e-Safety Kit’ activity pack aimed at six to twelve-year-olds. The ISPCC has developed guidelines and supports for parents. Education is a fundamental issue for parents and young people along with parental guidance, supervision, and the setting of boundaries considered critical to ensuring children’s safety online.

The Office for Internet Safety, an executive office of the Department of Justice and Equality, was established by the Government to take a lead responsibility for internet safety in Ireland, particularly as it relates to children. That Office has previously published guidance related to cyber bullying and filtering technologies for parents. As part of its work it holds an annual Safer Internet Day and supports the ‘Hotline.ie’ service. In addition, there are a number of other websites, such as Childline and Webwise, which have the capacity to facilitate anyone to report suspicious behaviour encountered online.

In seeking to address the problem of bullying we must tackle the root causes of bullying. This includes a focus on tackling prejudice, including homophobia, where it exists in our schools and wider society. The implementation of the Action Plan on Bullying, which is being led by the Department of Education and Skills, provides the framework for the Government’s absolute commitment to working with a broad base of interests to protect children from bullying and the often devastating consequences that it can have.

The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment continues to promote best practice by social media providers, with respect to privacy controls and reporting mechanisms for abuse/bullying so as to better protect children online. That Department has continued to engage with Internet service providers, including social media providers, to promote continued evolution of terms of service and guidelines. These measures address actions identified under the National Policy Framework for Children and Young People Better Outcomes Brighter Futures.

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