Louth TD says Coimisiún na Meán needs to up its game
Joanna Byrne said that the CyberSafeKids 10th Annual Report was a distressing read
Sinn Féin spokesperson for Culture, Communications and Sports, Joanna Byrne TD, has said that the CyberSafeKids 10th Annual Report, The Year Little Changed, is a very distressing read.
The Louth said:
“The report details that this year there has been an increase in the number of 12-15 year olds exposed to sexual content online. Underage users are able to access platforms not suitable for their age, despite regulations being in place that make the platform responsible for age verification.
"This report is another example, if more evidence was needed, of social media companies failing to live up to their legal responsibilities when they are tested.
"What the report details is not simply a series of 'one-offs' or isolated instances of the regulations not being followed, it is widespread and across multiple platforms.
"It is time for Coimisiún na Meán to pull their socks up and stringently enforce the Online Safety Framework. All the tools necessary for them to do their jobs effectively are available to them, but thus far they have been taking the softly-softly approach.
"In January, during the Grok app nudification scandal, Coimisiún na Meán issued a statement saying they were engaging with the European Commission in relation to Grok. It is now September, and we are none the wiser as to what action they are going to take. I contacted them at the beginning of last week seeking an update, and again urged them to utilise the Online Safety Framework against the X social media platform.
"I have also been in contact with them to ask why they are not utilising the Irish Law portion of the Online Safety Framework - the Online Safety Media Regulation Act - which is there to protect children and the public from harmful and illegal content - against social media platforms. Recently we saw numerous crashes caused by young men doing a 'TikTok challenge' and driving the wrong way down motorways leading to fatalities and serious injuries. That is harmful content and platforms that do not robustly remove that content should feel the full weight of the law on them.
"Everyone needs to feel as safe and protected in the digital world as they do in the real world. We have laws and regulations in place to protect people, but Coimisiún na Meán needs to up its game and use those laws and regulations to ensure those protections are in place.
“I want to commend CyberSafeKids for their report. They were before the media committee in recent months and engaged and advised us extensively on online safety. Hopefully, we will see far more stringent enforcement when it comes to online safety in the coming year at the hands of Coimisiún na Meán, and maybe next year's CyberSafeKids report will make for a better read."