Kerry County Council urged to delete account on social media platform X and lay down a marker
The KerrymanKerry County Council has been urged to “lead by example” and delete its account on the social media network X.
Sinn Féin councillors mounted an attack on the platform during last Monday’s council meeting as the council and other elected members advocated for caution.
Kerry County Council (KCC) has over 17,500 followers on X, having joined the platform (formerly known as Twitter) in 2009.
X has come under scrutiny recently for reports that child sexual abuse material and non-consensual intimate images of adults were generated through the Grok artificial-intelligence tool and disseminated on the platform.
At the recent KCC meeting, Councillor Robert Brosnan called for KCC to “lay down a marker” and discontinue its use of the platform.
“X and Elon Musk have shown nothing but contempt for Ireland’s houses of parliament,” he said.
“Despite being requested to attend an Oireachtas Committee to answer questions on what happens through and what is broadcast on their platform, X declined to turn up.
“Citizens and parents all over Ireland are very concerned about the content being read and viewed on X, and the terrible effects that this content is having on our society, especially on our young people.
“There are generations now trapped in panopticons of flickering nonsense which is crippling their creativity, their sense of self-worth and their individuality.
“Recent years should teach us that we should not over-rely on the philosophies, thoughts or the intelligence of man without it being weighed and measured morally and ethically on a humanitarian scale,” Cllr Brosnan added.
While other councillors agreed with the sentiment of the motion, many were not convinced KCC leaving the platform was the right response.
Councillor Jackie Healy-Rae argued that X was used by people to seek out relevant information, KCC posts included extreme weather warnings.
“It’s a place where people will go to get information,” he said.
“Sinn Féin have posted 10 times already today, maybe you could start there?”
Councillor John O’Donoghue agreed the platform was a “cesspit” but said he still used it to follow journalists and public figures who might not be available elsewhere.
To abandon the platform, he said, was to open “pandoras box” in relation to censorship due to there being no legal or regulatory ruling against it.
Councillor Johnny Healy-Rae argued that the logic to leave X had “no end to it” and asked why they wouldn’t deem Facebook off-limits.
“It makes nonsense of the whole thing,” he said.
Councillor Charlie Farrelly pointed out that he had endured abuse on Facebook during the 2024 local election.
The council argued that the platform was a “vital means” of communication with people and for a lot of people, it was the only media they consumed.
They said the issue was for regulatory bodies to decide at a national level, pointing out that major political parties were all still active on X.
Sinn Féin Councillor Deirdre Ferris said she felt X was “an echo chamber of disgust and single mindedness” but asked for a breakdown of the council’s followers on the platform.
She argued it was important to see if they were in fact in the county before deciding. Cllr Brosnan acceded to waiting for the data but warned he would “not wave a white flag on this one”.