Written answers

Tuesday, 5 October 2021

Department of Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht

Cyberbullying Issues

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

271. To ask the Minister for Culture, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the steps she and her Department are taking to target and eliminate online bullying across various social media platforms; the recent progress in this regard; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [48358/21]

Photo of Catherine MartinCatherine Martin (Dublin Rathdown, Green Party)
Link to this: Individually | In context | Oireachtas source

The Online Safety and Media Regulation (OSMR) Bill will establish a multi-person Media Commission, including an Online Safety Commissioner, dissolve the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland, establish regulatory frameworks for online safety and the regulation of audiovisual media services, and transpose the revised Audiovisual Media Services Directive.

It will be the role of the Online Safety Commissioner to oversee the regulatory framework for online safety. As part of the framework, the Commissioner will devise binding online safety codes that will set out how regulated online services, including certain social media services, are expected to deal with certain defined categories of harmful online content on their platforms. The defined categories of harmful online content include criminal material, serious cyber-bullying material and material promoting self-harm, suicide and eating disorders.

Under the measures proposed in the Bill, in the event of a failure to comply with a relevant online safety code, and subject to Court approval, the Media Commission will have the power to sanction non-compliant online services, including through financial sanctions of up to €20m or 10% of turnover.

Given the importance of this legislation, in December 2020 I asked the Government to approve the commencement of detailed drafting of the Bill by the Office of the Attorney General and the referral of the General Scheme the Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny simultaneously. Pre-legislative scrutiny of the General Scheme by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media is on-going. The detailed drafting process is now nearing completion and will be finalised once the pre-legislative scrutiny report has been received and analysed. The Bill will then be brought forward for publication and enactment.

Comments

No comments

Log in or join to post a public comment.