Limerick councillor calls for more social media classes to warn of hazards
CHILDREN as young as three-years are now watching YouTube while TikTok has unleashed a “craze” of daring, according to Fine Gael councillor Adam Teskey.
And he wants more steps to be taken within the education system to educate young people on the advantages and hazards of social media.
“I am probably the last generation to grow up without social media dominating my life,” said the 32-year-old Rathkeale man.
He took particular exception to what he described as a TikTok “craze” which was about “daring one another to do things, to do something illegal at times”.
“It is a race to the bottom in my opinion,” he said. “This is putting immense pressure on young people.”
His concern was that the dares could lead to serious harm or accidents or even suicide.
“There is a lot of cyberbullying going on,” he continued. “Unlike bullying during school time,” he continued, “cyber bullying creeps into bedrooms at night and “parents may not be aware of the torment in a child’s mind”.
Cllr Teskey put forward a motion committing the Adare Rathkeale councillors to lobby the Minister for Education and Skills to include an extensive programme in the school curriculum on the importance and dangers associated with using social media platforms.
He understood, he said, that the issue was covered to some extent in schools but argued that it needed to be part of the curriculum.
“People may not be aware they must be responsible for what they say, what they say about one another,” he said.