Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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270. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the extent to which his Department is conscious of the concerns of parents whose children have been the victims of cyber or other forms of bullying; if adequate provision is being made to deal with the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41003/20]

Roderic O'Gorman (Dublin West, Green Party)
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I am conscious of the concerns of parents whose children have been affected by cyberbullying and other forms of bullying and am very aware of the distress that it can cause.

A range of Government Departments and agencies have a role to play in relation to online safety. The Action Plan for Online Safety 2018-19, which was launched by the then Taoiseach in July 2018, sets out the rage of actions and activities underway across six key Government Departments ((the then named) Departments of Communications, Climate Action and Environment; Education and Skills; Justice and Equality; Children and Youth Affairs; Health and Business, Enterprise and Innovation) to keep children and adults safe online.

Children First operates on the premise that it is the responsibility of everyone in society to keep children and young people safe from harm. This responsibility includes keeping children safe from harm online. As part of the Action Plan, in January 2019 my Department published an addendum to the Children First National Guidance to include a specific reference to the need to consider online safety in the preparation of risk assessments and Child Safeguarding Statements. In addition, Tusla has revised its template for the completion of Child Safeguarding Statements to refer to the need to consider online risks to children if a service provides access to the internet.

The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth provides funding to three national youth organisations which provide online safety resources for the youth sector. The National Youth Council of Ireland provides the Web Safety in Youth Work Resource, SpunOut has developed an Online Safety Hub which provides guidelines for young people on online safety and Youth Work Ireland, in conjunction with McAfee Security, has developed a digital safety programme which highlights the risks associated with online activity. Further detail below:

- The Web Safety in Youth Work Resource is produced by the National Youth Council of Ireland and is a component of its child protection programme. It is a resource intended to support those who work with young people in small and large youth organisations to ensure that young people, staff, volunteers and organisations are safe while online.

- Spunout.ie which is funded by the Department under the Youth Service Grant Scheme has developed an Online Safety Hub which provides guidelines on online safety, privacy and security for young people on all the main social media platforms as well as messaging, gaming and dating apps/sites.

- In September 2017 the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs launched a new Digital Safety Programme, which is a collaboration between Youth Work Ireland and McAfee Security. The programme teaches school-aged children how to safely access the internet via digital devices, with topics including online security, accessing social media safely and cyberbullying.

As part of the government response to Covid-19, in April, the then Minister for Children and Youth Affairs launched a range of supports for parents and children to support them during this challenging time. This included a new online gov.ie resource for parents, entitled ‘Parents Centre’

() which brings together high quality information and online resources for parents into one portal. Parents Centre provides links to a wide variety of material including around learning, parenting and supports that are available. It also includes links to Webwise, an initiative of the Department of Education, which is the key internet safety online access point for parents in Ireland. As a response to Covid-19, the Webwise Parents Hub has been updated with online safety advice for parents, including around screen time as well as with the publication of ‘A Parent’s Guide for a Better Internet’, covering topics including managing technology use at home, social networking tips and dealing with cyberbullying.

Bullying in schools is a particular problem due to the fact that children spend a significant portion of their time there. In the first instance, the school authorities are responsible for dealing with such bullying. School management boards must have a code of behaviour and an anti-bullying policy in place. A range of resources are available on the website of the Department of Education to assist parents, young people and schools to deal with bullying and cyberbullying

The Programme for Government, Our Shared Future, commits to the enactment of the Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill and the establishment of an Online Safety Commissioner. The general scheme of the OSMR Bill 2019, which has the aim of regulating harmful content and creating a safer environment online for all users, including children and young people, was approved by Government and published by the then Minister for Communications, Climate Action and Environment in January 2020.

Online safety codes will deal with a wide range of issues, including measures to be taken by online services to tackle the availability of harmful online content, for example cyberbullying material, on their services. The Online Safety Commissioner will also have a role in promoting positive digital citizenship among children and young people, in conjunction with Webwise and other educational partners, schools, as well as the Ombudsman for Children. The Commissioner will also develop a research programme led by internationally recognised experts to review the existing and developing literature in relation to the consequences, benefits and potential harms to society and especially children, of digital activity and the concept of duty of care and the public interest in the design of online platforms.